Return to Jurassic: Annihilate 23
by Autumn Darkness
Summary: Sequel to 'Return to Jurassic'. Summary is inside! Eric is the main character. Please read and review! Chapter 15 is up!
1. The Past Still Hurts

**Author's Note**: **PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE**! This is a sequel to my story "Return to Jurassic", and if you don't read that first, you might be somewhat confused by this story! If you go to my profile page, there's a link at the bottom, which might get you there faster. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, but it is highly recommended. (As a side note, RtJ was one of the first Jurassic Park stories posted in this section and up until at LEAST November 13, 2003, it had the most reviews in the Jurassic Park section. Let's see if we can beat that with this story!)

With that said, WELCOME, EVERYONE! And in some cases, WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE! I must say that anyone who read my last story put up with all 41,211 words extremely well. Heh – I'm having fun. I'm still sad about the end of RtJ (this one will be abbreviated A23) … very sad. Yes indeed.

Thanks to my new beta, Captain Oblivious.

**Summary **Five years later, Eric is still getting over Lane's death when someone calls him, offering him a job concerning Isla Sorna. They offer him a great sum of money and his need of it pushes him to accept. But he didn't know what kind of job he was getting himself into, and what kind of people he would be working with…

This book is **dedicated to** my sister, Captain Oblivious.

**Return to Jurassic: Annihilate 23**

**By: Autumn Darkness**

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**Chapter One- The Past Still Hurts**

_The wound in her stomach poured blood freely. Her already filthy clothes became more and more red. Her blood dripped onto my skin. I looked into her face and saw tears running swiftly down it. "Eric," she whispered._

**I **jerked awake. My body was dripping with a cold sweat and my sheets were plastered to me. I peeled the blankets back and sat up, bringing my legs over the side of the bed and resting them on the floor. I ran the back of my hand over my forehead and a convulsive shiver ran down my spine. It would be six years this coming month. Six years since that one horrible day when …

I sighed and stood up. Thinking about that only made me more depressed (than I already was). Besides, if I kept thinking about … her … I would continue having the horrible dreams that I had been having for the past years. Had it only been six years? Time seemed to be going extremely slow.

I walked into my bathroom, turned on the cold water, and put my head under the stream of liquid. Perfect. No more constant headache, even though I knew it would still be there when I pulled my head out of the water. Ah, the irony of life. Take away someone's love and leave them mortally wounded for the rest of eternity. Sure, sixteen was a rather young age to find "the one." Up to that day, I still thought that Lane Marie Jessica Martin would still be "the one" for me … if only she was alive.

_In a flash, the Tyrannosaurus was on her. He picked her up in his jaws and shook her around. She screamed out in pain as the dinosaur's teeth went through her middle._

I pulled my head out from under the water and shook it, spraying dampness throughout my outdated bathroom. I looked at the mirror - water dripping down and down - water dripping like tears.

_A couple tears rolled off my chin and onto her cheeks. She was so pale._

I shook my head again, then hit it against the mirror. "Pull yourself out of it, man," I muttered under my breath. I, Eric James Kirby, was stronger than this. She was just a girl. She was a dead girl; one who had been dead for six whole years; one whom I had teased and tortured for five years. I could get over this. "Besides," I added in an undertone, "You have another job interview today." 'Another' was the key word.

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I slammed my head against my steering wheel several times before I even thought about putting the keys into the ignition. 'Eric Kirby, dinosaur freak and world wide geek.'

I should just wear that on my nametag, I thought. No one was ever going to hire me. Practically everyone knew me as 'that kid who was on that island… twice,' or 'that kid who killed his friend on that island that's supposed to have dinosaurs on it,' or 'that whack-job.' Those who didn't know who I was were probably deaf, blind, and without feeling so that they couldn't read brail. "You're the most famous person alive!" my friend Tina once said. But I couldn't see why they knew who I was, but they didn't know who she and her husband were. "You two have been on the island too!" I had yelled back at her.

"Yeah," she had said, wrapping her arm around Brad Kim's waist, "But we were only there once."

She and Brad had been married three years now, and Tina had just had her first kid. We were really good friends, but we still fought all the time. One of the things I regretted after every argument was when I would say; "You seemed to get over Lane awfully quick. Especially since she was your best friend!"

I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and parked in my usual spot. "Gotta get over this," I muttered as I climbed the steps to the second floor. I unlocked my door and pushed it open. A musty smell flowed out to greet me. Home. Yeah, it wasn't much, and it sure wasn't pretty, but it was home.

"Who would have thought that McDonalds would be that picky," I said under my breath.

I sat down on my couch and switched the television on.

"—Here with Doctor Alan Grant, a paleontologist." The reporter said. I sat up straighter as the camera zoomed out to show a man (wearing his signature "Indiana Jones" hat) who looked much older than the last time I had seen him.

"He is here in India, trying to capture all of these wild birds you see behind us."

For the fist time I noticed the sky was filled with … not birds, but Pteranadons. Very big Pteranadons.

"Doctor Grant, what brought you here?"

"I've been working with dinosaurs…"

"Birds, Doctor Grant."

"Yes, right, birds, for a long time now. Really, this job is only for the professionals. These birds are extremely dangerous and can kill…"

"That's all the time we have for today. Again, I'm Alex Snow, live with CMN news; back to you, Chelsea."

I turned the television off and shook my head. The only reason Alan had taken the job was because of the money. Judging by what he was working with, a very large sum of money. Why the news station wanted to call the extremely dangerous dinosaurs 'birds' was not completely beyond me, but seemed rather stupid.

My telephone suddenly rang, causing me to jump. Sighing, I picked up the receiver and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Eric. You sound tired!" A voice said.

"Oh hi, Tina. I just got turned down again," I said, running my hand through my short brown hair.

"Oh, Eric, I'm sorry!" she said. She sounded really happy …

"Did you get your book published?" I asked, grinning.

"YES!" she screeched. "Oh my gosh, Eric, it's so nice to finally get it out there. And you know what's weird?"

"What?" I asked, even though I already knew what she was going to tell me.

"I can still remember every word that Lane told me. You know that day when … my birthday … when she found me?"

"Yep," I said calmly.

"Yeah, when we exchanged stories. I still remember every word she told me. I started writing it down right away because I thought it would help me get over her. And it really did. It was hard writing the last chapter, but … thanks for your story at the end, guy. It really helped."

I sighed inwardly. "No problem."

"So you're going to come to the signing, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Great. So … do you need some more money for your rent?"

I sighed. Tina always called me around this time of month to see if I had any luck with finding a job. If not, she would fork over some money (because Brad was a big time lawyer and she was a semi-famous author) that I would add to my tab. So far, I owed them 24,000 dollars. Not a good thing.

"Uh … give me a couple days. I might have a job by then … and if not, you can wire it to me. Okay?" I didn't try to fight her any more. She would always beat me down … or send the money to me anyways.

"Eric, you're going to get the bill tomorrow. You don't want to send it in late … again. I'll just drive it down tomorrow, okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Eric, come on. Things aren't always going to be this way. Maybe you should move up here! You could live with us, and start with a fresh plate. There are a lot of job opportunities and…"

"Less drug deals?" I asked.

Now it was Tina's turn to sigh. "You know I didn't mean that…"

"Naw, it's okay. I know what you meant. I know what goes on in this building, and I can't say I'm all that happy about it. But … listen. I would love to come up and see you some time. But it'll only be for a couple weeks, and after I try a few other places down here."

"What places haven't you tried?"

"That new post-it store opened a couple blocks away…"

"Eric, you are not working there. That's not how you're going to spend your life."

"Then what do you…?"

"I already said! Come up here and try our options. It would do you good."

I sighed … again. "What would I do with my apartment?"

"Sell it. Goodness knows you wouldn't want to go back to that place … would you?"

"I don't know. It's kind of cozy."

"Eric, be serious. Please come up. You can stay with us as long as you like. Little Jennifer would love to see you."

I rubbed my temples. "I'll think about it."

"Okay. Just so long as you actually do think. I better go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," I said wearily.

"Bye!" came her cheerful voice, soon followed by a click, signaling the end of our conversation.

"I hate being dependent on people," I muttered, putting the phone down. Taking her money was bad enough. Now she wanted me to live with them. I couldn't stand kids! Jennifer was so clingy to me … and she called me her uncle. I wasn't even closely related to the diapered little smelly thing!

"Think about it; right," I said. Like I was going to baby-sit her for the rest of my life. Wonderful chewed up cheerios and drool on me 24/7 wasn't a very appetizing thought. More like a horrible thought. A deadly thought that would kill me whenever it had the chance … or whenever mealtime came around. Aw, what a pleasant thought. 'Thought' was a very important word in my limited vocabulary. I seemed to think it a lot.

_"I didn't think –" I tried to say, but Lane cut me off, like she had done several times before._

_"That's right," she said. "You didn't think. I hate you, Eric."_

RING!

Stupid phone, I thought. I picked the receiver up. "Hello?" I asked wearily. This day has been way too long. I thought.

"Hello, is this Mr. Kirby?"

"Yeah."

"Hi, Eric … is it alright if I call you 'Eric'?"

"Fine."

"Well, Eric, I have a proposition for you."

"I'm not selling any drugs." I said, quickly hanging up. Too many people had called me and thought I would sell illegal drugs for them, just because I lived in this apartment complex. 'Dump-villa' most people called it. Every single one of them said, "I have a proposition for you." Well … most of them. Some of them just came right out and said, "You want to sell some dope?"

"Okay, Tina," I said. "I'll think about it."

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**Author's Note: **I hate starting new stories. They just seem to go so slow in the beginning. Writing a sequel is hard, too, because you have to make it as good as the first … without going overboard.

Sorry about 'all the phone calls'. But, you needed to hear from Tina! And … I'm still setting up the story.

Please review!


	2. Painful Memories

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all of your reviews, you guys! It's so great to be back. 12 reviews for the first chapter is pretty good, don't you think? -grins- Anyways, please review this one when you finish it!

**What happened last? **

"I'm not selling any drugs." I said, quickly hanging up. Too many people had called me and thought I would sell illegal drugs for them, just because I lived in this apartment complex. 'Dump-villa' most people called it. Every single one of them said, "I have a proposition for you." Well … most of them. Some of them just came right out and said, "You want to sell some dope?"

"Okay, Tina," I said. "I'll think about it."

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**Chapter Two - Painful Memories**

Return to Jurassic, by: Tina Kim was in all of the shop windows downtown. Apparently, the small town of Borderline, Arizona was very please with their young authoress.

I smiled as the taxi passed by a small bookshop with no less than twelve posters for the upcoming book in their windows. Nice, very nice. No doubt, Tina was very popular before the book, but now that she would most likely bring a lot of attention and tourism to their small town, she seemed even better known. The taxi man had nearly choked when I told him where I wanted to go.

"You know the Tina Kim, sir?" he had asked.

I had just smiled and nodded. "Yes," I said. "I'm a very close friend of hers."

The short little driver's eyes had widened in a mix of fear and excitement. "Could I … would it be possible … will you introduce me to her, sir?"

"I most certainly will," I had said.

And there I was, riding in the back of an old, small, yellow taxi cab, riding through the ever so small downtown of a place I wished I could forget. I was sure that I would have to make a visit to the Martins'. They had been dying to see me lately.

"With the prospect of Tina's book and all," Mrs. Martin had said, "we just want you to be here to see it."

"Our precious little Lane would have wanted it that way," Mr. Martin added.

The taxi turned off Main Street and onto a smaller, less traveled road that wound around through a large neighborhood of expensive houses. The street slowly curved up as it turned back and forth, and pretty soon we were at the top of a hill and pulling into a driveway of a stately looking brick house with a lot of windows.

Even before the taxi had stopped, Tina came bounding out of the house and nearly tackled me when I stepped out of the car. "ERIC!" she screamed into my ear. I laughed and hugged her back.

"Gosh, it's good to see you again, Tiny," I said, using the name that Lane had called her by many times.

Tina whacked me on the arm. "So how was the drive?" she asked.

I shrugged. After a short introduction between the taxi driver and Tina, we hauled all my luggage into the house and closed the door. "Sorry about him," I said, referring to the driver.

"That's okay," Tina said. "I get that all the time."

Nodding, I looked around. I didn't really want to see her, but out of politeness I asked, "Where's little Jenny?"

"HERE, UWNCLE EWIC!" came a little voice from the kitchen.

"She's stuck in her booster chair," Tina said, hiding a giggle. I raised my eyebrow at her. "I know you're not her uncle … but you should be. Come on; come into the house."

I never understood why people said this. I'm already in the house … I thought. But I stepped a little farther in and looked around on my way to the kitchen. They had high vaulted ceilings with cedar beams running across, a large staircase that led up to the second floor, and a large sized dining room with mahogany furniture. The couches in the family and living rooms were top of the line, including their Steinway and fifty-seven inch plasma television. Their house always amazed me.

Their kitchen was just as amazing. Marble counter tops, clean, metal appliances, mahogany cupboards, and a lot of crystal glasses to go with their expensive wine collection.

"UWNCLE EWIC!"

A small pink thing with a blonde thing on its head suddenly ran into my legs and squeezed them. "Hey, Jenny," I said enthusiastically. A little bit too enthusiastically, but that's how you're supposed to talk to kids … right?

I picked the little two-year old up off the ground and spun her around in the air. Jennifer squealed and held onto my arms with her tiny little hands. Tina laughed.

I set Jenny back on the ground and she immediately latched onto my leg and started sucking her thumb.

"Mr. and Mrs. Martin called this morning," Tina said, cleaning up the table where Jenny had been sitting. The view from their house was breathtaking…

"Oh?" I said politely.

"Yeah," she said. "They wanted to know when you were coming up…"

"And did you tell them?" I asked. It's not that I didn't like the Martins. But they had pictures of Lane all over their house. Every time the name was mentioned I would remember when they found out about their daughter…

_I climbed out of the small airplane and looked around. There were so many reporters and flashes going off, I could hardly see anything. My clothes were plastered to me with Lane's blood. I heard a scream and someone yelled, "HE'S HURT! MY BABY'S HURT! GET HIM HELP! SOMEONE!"_

_A pair of paramedics can towards me. "Where are you hurt, son?" one of them asked._

_I couldn't talk. I couldn't even open my mouth. My jaw was clamped shut. Lane was gone and she was never coming back. There was nothing I could do about it. It was because of me that she was dead. It was because of me that the Tyrannosaurus had bit her through the middle and broken her spine. It was because of me she went limp in my arms as I was telling her she was going to be all right …_

_"Son?"_

_"Not me," I muttered._

_My mother and father ran out of the crowd and held me in a tight hug. "My baby!" my mother kept crying._

_Brad came out of the plane holding Tina. She was still crying and was shaking from the sobs that wracked her body. Her family ran up to her and gave her hugs and tried to comfort her. Brad gave his family quick hugs, but otherwise stood silent, staring at the ground._

_That's when I saw them. Lane's family was standing off to the side … along with all the other families, looking around for their daughter._

_I pulled away from my family and slowly walked over to them._

_"Hello, Eric," Kelsey Martin said when she noticed me. She gave me a quick hug, but I could tell she was looking around for Lane._

_Kevin Martin shook my hand and gave me a meaningful nod, but his eyes very tired looking and bloodshot. I didn't even really know these people. How could I ever tell them that their daughter was dead? That I had held her for her very last moments while her blood soaked my skin._

_"Um," I said shakily. They had to know, and I had to be the one to tell them. It was only right. "Mr. and Mrs. Martin?"_

_"Yes, Eric?" Kelsey said, taking my hand in hers. A couple tears rolled down her cheeks._

_"Lane …" I said. I swallowed the lump in my throat and started again. "Lane … won't be … she's not … I tried …" My eyes were filled up with so many tears, I couldn't see anything. I quickly wiped them away and looked up at Kelsey and Kevin._

_I never got any farther. They both knew, but didn't want to believe it. Kelsey's scream ripped through the air when the unloaded the stretcher from the helicopter. Lane's bloody, limp form was lying on it. I looked at her face. It was relaxed and peaceful; not screwed up in pain. Her eyes were closed … I had been the one to close them. Her mouth … the kiss…_

_I turned away and wiped my eyes again, trying to hold it in. It wasn't supposed to happen this way…_

"Eric? Eric!"

I pulled out of my daydream to realize that Tina was talking to me. "What? Oh, sorry."

Tina shook her head. "I said that it wasn't supposed to happen this way … not this fast, at least."

"What was?" I asked. I looked around. I was sitting in the living room … how had I gotten here? The last thing I remember was standing in the kitchen with Jenny latched onto me.

Tina rolled her eyes. "My book? The one I've been writing for the past five years?"

"That's a long time for a book…" I commented.

Tina shook her head.

"I mean, that's great, Tiny. I'm just … tired," I said. "It was a long drive."

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, half an hour is much too long."

I chose to ignore her sarcastic comment. "Uh … am I in the guest room… again?" I asked, walking over to the stairs and picking up my bags.

Tina frowned. "Yeah… it's kind of your room now …"

"Okay," I said, hopping up the steps. "I'll be down in a while."

"Dinner's at six!" she called after me.

The hall was long and the walls were filled with pictures of little Jennifer. The guest room was the third door on the right. It was a pretty big room decorated nicely, but not too much. But it was definitely a guest room.

Without unpacking, I flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Six long years and all I could think about was her…

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**Author's Note: **-gags and falls over- That was too short! I was going to write more … but then I didn't want to. BAD ME! Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Baby Steps

**_A/N: _**_Thanks, you guys, for all of your reviews, and I'm so sorry that I made you wait this long.  I've been pretty busy.  My excuse for everything.  *sigh*  I just had major writer's block on this chapter.   _

_Oh, and just to be lame and advertise my own stories, if you guys want to read more of my work but another chapter isn't up yet, you're very welcome to check out any of my other stories.  Thanks!_

**What happened last?**

"Uh … am I in the guest room… again?" I asked, walking over to the stairs and picking up my bags.

       Tina frowned. "Yeah… it's kind of your room now …"

"Okay," I said, hopping up the steps. "I'll be down in a while."

"Dinner's at six!" she called after me.

The hall was long and the walls were filled with pictures of little Jennifer. The guest room was the third door on the right. It was a pretty big room decorated nicely, but not too much. But it was definitely a guest room. 

Without unpacking, I flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Six long years and all I could think about was her…

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Chapter Three ~ Baby Steps 

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            Kelsey Martin looked just like a model.  Her dark red hair was close to auburn and her eyes were a bright color of green.  Her form was thin and she didn't look as though she was forty-two years old.  You could certainly see where Lane had gotten her looks, but not her height.   That she had gotten from her dad.  Kevin was six feet two inches tall, and when Kelsey stood at four feet eleven inches tall, it had put Lane right in the middle.   

            Kelsey was happy to see me and gave me a huge hug when I walked in the door.  Tina had come along, of course.  I wouldn't let her get out of it.  I made sure that when we took a tour of their house (though I had been in it several times before) that I turned my eyes away from any sort of picture frame.  I didn't want to look at any pictures of Her, especially the ones with the two of us together.  Those were all too common, though I had been forced to pose in many of them.

            "Iced tea, Eric?  Tina?" Kelsey asked as we walked into the kitchen. 

            "Sure," we said at the same time.  Mrs. Martin smiled at us and went to the refrigerator.  

            I looked around the familiar room.  I had sat in front of the television so many times, playing video games while Lane sat on the couch looking at magazines or talking to her friends on the phone.  I had never really liked being there during middle school and ninth grade.  But after that one summer I spent on Isla Sorna… many things had changed.  In a sense they were for the better, but the loss of a friend was truly regrettable.  

            But I wasn't going to think about that. 

            "Take a seat, won't you?" Mrs. Martin offered as she pulled a couple glasses out of the cupboard.  

            Tina and I sat down on the stools behind the bar and watched as Kelsey poured iced tea and set them in front of us.  "So how have you kids been?" she asked as she poured a glass for herself. 

            "Good," Tina answered for the both of us.  "Eric's come up here to look for a job."

            I sighed and ran my index finger along the rim of the glass.  

            "Oh?" Kelsey said.  

            "Yeah," I said simply.  

Tina looked at me queerly, then gave a complete answer in the place of my own.  "He was having trouble finding one up where he was, so he moved down here and until he finds one, he's going to watch Jessie for me."

            "Oh," Kelsey said again.  But this time it was the kind of 'oh' you said when you liked something you heard. "And how is little Jessica?" 

            Tina launched into a story about her most recent 'cute' stories of Jessie, telling them with an acute sense of detail.  It was obvious that she wasn't about to leave a thing out.  My attention immediately began to wander.  I was back to sitting on the green futon, playing video games and trying to ignore Lane's constant voice as she talked on the phone to her friends and complained about me and how she had to hang out with me.  I was back to standing on a stool to reach the sink so that we could fill water balloons together.  I was back to sitting on the tree swing out back with her and proposing, saying that we could get married when I turned six next month.  

            Before I knew it, an hour had passed and Tina was poking me in the arm, telling me we had to leave.  I stood up and gave Kelsey a hug and followed Tina out of the house down to her car parked on the street.  "There," she said, "that wasn't too bad.  Was it?"  

            I just shook my head and sat in the passenger seat.  "Where are we going now?" I asked. 

            "We have to pick Jessica up from Greta's, then I'm going to drop you two off at home so that I can go run some errands," she said as she turned on her blinker and waited for a car to pass so that she could pull out onto the street.  Warm air blasted in through the partially open windows of the forest green mini-van and filtered around the small space.  I lay my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes, letting the hot sun seep through my skin.  

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            "What color do you want?" I asked Jessica.  I was holding two candies her mom had said she could have. "But she can only have _one_!" She had said over and over. 

            "Pink and owange," Jessica said, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. 

            "No, Jessie, you can only have one.   Now pick one," I said. 

            "Uh-huh," she said, "pink and owange."

            "No," I said.  I was getting a headache.  "Pick _one, _Jessie.  _One._"

            "Yeah, pink and owange."  

            "Do you want the pink one?" 

            "Uh-huh, pink and owange." 

            "Jessie, _no.  _Only one.  How about the orange?"

            "Yeah, pink and owange." 

            "How about I give you the pink one?" I tried to hand her the pink candy.  

            "Uh-huh," Jessica said, ignoring what I was trying to hand her.  "Pink and owange." 

            "I'M HOME!" Tina's call rang through the house.  _Thank heavens, _I thought.  

            I dropped the candies on the counter as Jessica ran out to greet her mother.  Ugh, I needed to get out of the house.  

            "I'm going to take a drive," I said, brushing past Tina as she walked into the kitchen. 

            "Oh… okay," she said.  

            I grabbed the keys of her Volvo off of the dining room table and went outside.  The large, blue sky stretched out over a small Arizona town.  Everything looked so peaceful, but I did almost anything I could to get away from this place.  There were too many memories of Lane wrapped up in its folds.  

            I drove through the streets, looking around at all the familiar things.  I would look at the gas station (it was now a Shell station but it used to be an old Texaco) and see Lane leaning against the old coke machine, talking with Hannah and Tina.  I would look over at the Blockbuster and see Lane coming out with a video tucked under her arm, sipping on a slurpie.  Anywhere I looked, there she was, like a phantom, following me around the town.  

            "This is getting pathetic," I said to myself, making sure to only look at the road and ignore the little shops (especially the ice cream parlor).  Not only was it getting pathetic, it was also getting a little freaky.  I needed to stop the car so that I could think.

            The first parking space I saw, I flipped on my blinker and quickly pulled in.  I didn't even look at where I was parking.  

            I rested my head against the steering wheel.  "Dang, man, pull yourself out of this," I told myself in a fierce whisper.  _Tomorrow, _I thought, _you are going to continue your life as though Lane is a thing of the past and… well she is a thing of the past… _"DARN IT ALL!"  I yelled at myself.  This wasn't going to work.  _Just take it one step at a time, Eric.  One baby step at a time. _

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**A/N:  **I'm sure you're all thinking exactly what I am.  Get over Lane and get to the island!  Anyways, I am SO incredibly sorry that I made you wait this long for this chapter.  I will try REALLY, REALLY hard to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.  So in the meantime, PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	4. Sufficient Funds

**_A/N: _**_Again, thank you (all of you) for your wonderful reviews. They're a great inspiration to me and if it wasn't for you, I truly would not be writing this story. Also, an apology for how spaced out my updates have been. I am having serious writer's block. I think it has something to do with the main character not being Lane, but that is my own fault, so I will not complain. You will just have to bear with me. _

_In previous chapters, I have neglected my past tradition of replying to reviews in my new chapters. Well, today is your lucky day, for I've decided to start up again in this tradition. I'm sorry if I forget you! _

**Hothunnies16 – **Thank you!

**Techy El Nerd – **I'm sorry! Well… yeah… Eric's just… very sentimental. But, on the request of something eating him or someone shooting him… you'll just have to wait and see if I put this into consideration. wink

**Shooting Starlight – **It's a big possibility that he'll have more dreams about her… judging how much he thinks about Lane, you would think he would.

**The Oogie Boogie Man – **AH! You're right! Her name was Jennifer! AAAH! Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno…

**Libby – **Yes, lucky for you, I am indeed not dead. And, you can trust me. I asked my sister, and though she would like me not to be, I am as alive as I was yesterday. (Do you think it's my cough that's making her dislike me? :P Just kidding.)

**Jade S – **I liked your review… it made me feel good and loved. grins

**Love-angel-89 – **I have decided to take your advice and continue writing the story. I don't know what I would have done without you. hugs and grins

**Moonlights Sundance – **Yeah, I know what you mean. I would hate to have that hanging over my head for the rest of my life… or at least for six years. But she died in his arms! And… she was his first love… goodness, 16 still seems like a young age to fall in love (and me being 15… lol).

**_An important notice!!! _**_In the last chapter, I accidentally said that Jennifer's name was Jessica… all through the chapter. Sorry about that. So, any time I said 'Jessica,' I meant Jennifer. Please forgive me on this one! Thanks for pointing that out to me, The Oogie Boogie Man (haha – that's a great penname). _

**What happened last? **

****

I rested my head against the steering wheel. "Dang, man, pull yourself out of this," I told myself in a fierce whisper. _Tomorrow, _I thought, _you are going to continue your life as though Lane is a thing of the past and… well she is a thing of the past… _"DARN IT ALL!" I yelled at myself. This wasn't going to work. _Just take it one step at a time, Eric. One baby step at a time._

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**__**

**_Chapter Four Sufficient Funds_**

****

After talking her into going with me, Tina and I made the long drive to my old apartment while Brad stayed home with Jennifer. Not only did I need to remove the rest of my belongings from my previous residence so that it could be sold, but I also needed to pick up my car so that I could stop driving Tina's Volvo around everywhere. I needed to get out of their house… and that town as well. If I was going to get over Lane, I needed to be able to gather my thoughts in a place where memories did not follow me around every corner.

Because the drive was just over two hours, Tina and I planned to spend the night in my apartment. The next morning, I would hand the keys over to the manager and be done with the drug-infested place for good. The one and only good thing about Lane's death was that she could not see what I dump I lived in. Though, if she were alive, I probably would not have been living there in the first place…

The apartment smelled mustier than ever. There was even a giant cobweb in the corner of the room. '_How lovely,' _I thought.

"I don't know what you ever saw in this place," Tina muttered.

"You sure you don't want to get a hotel room for the night?" I asked her. It would be easier to gather my thoughts without her there.

"No, I… AAAAARGH!" she screeched, jumping up onto a chair. "A MOUSE! ERIC! IT'S A MOUSE! OOOOH, HELP!"

I calmly walked over and dropped an empty wastebasket on the rodent before it could run away. "Tina, it's _only _a mouse."

"Are – do – do you have more?" she asked, clutching the back of the chair and looking wildly around the apartment.

"It wouldn't surprise me," I said truthfully. I slowly moved the wastebasket out the door and let the mouse free on the porch. With a quick, disoriented look, it ran into the ivy that grew up the side of the building.

"I- well – maybe I _should _get a hotel room," she stuttered, slowly climbing off the chair.

"Great idea!" I said enthusiastically. "Glad you came up with it!"

She gave me a withering look. "Ha. Ha. Ha."

I gave her a grin. "Yes, I thought it was quite funny myself."

Tina rolled her eyes before she looked around the apartment at all the things I had left behind. There wasn't much. I had sold most of it in a garage sale before I moved up to her place. "And you can't live without this junk?" she asked incredulously.

It was my turn to roll my eyes at her.

"Fine, fine," she said, raising her hands in defeat. "I'll help you pack."

We pulled some dusty boxes out of the corner and began wrapping things in newspaper before they were packed up in the boxes. It was mostly silent while we worked, but I could tell Tina wanted to say something. I picked something up off the floor and looked at it. '_What is that?' _I asked myself, looking at the strange object in my hand. '_Oh well; might as well pack it anyway.' _

"Eric?!" Tina yelled. I looked up at her and stopped wrapping. "Why on earth are you bringing _that?" _

"Um…" I didn't want to appear any more stupid because I didn't know what it was. "It… um…"

"You think we have rodents at our house, now?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No – yeah – um… now that you mention it, I did see one in my room the other night," I lied.

"_What_?!" she screeched, hopping to her feet. "We have _mice_?" __

"Rats, actually," I said. I had honestly seen one out in their bushes, so it wasn't _exactly _a lie.

"_What_?!"Her face looked panicked. "I – um- I have to call home. I can't have Jennifer bitten by one. Where's your phone?"

I pointed to the kitchen counter. Tripping over boxes and newspaper, Tina practically flew to the counter and quickly dialed her home phone number. I looked back down at the thing I was holding. I still had no clue what it was, but apparently it was used for getting rid of mice. I got up and threw it away in the kitchen trashcan, but quickly dug it back out when Tina started yelling at me. "You think _we _have that kind of stuff?" she screeched.

After stuffing the rodent-killer-what'sit-ma-thingie into a box, I continued packing until Tina came into the room and told me that I had about twenty-five messages on my machine. On reaching the machine in the kitchen, I saw the red light blinking furiously up at me. '_Who on earth would be calling me?' _I thought.

I sat down on a stool, grabbed a pen and paper, and pressed the play button. An annoying automated voice rang out clearly through the room, jerkily telling me; "4. 22. PM. July. 13. 2009." There was a click and a message came on. "Hello, Mr. Kirby." The voice was not familiar. "I talked with you on the phone the other day. I'm not sure why you thought I wanted you to sell drugs…

"Anyways, I have a proposition for you. I know, just like almost everyone else knows, that you have survived two experiences on the island Isla Sorna."

I reached out to the delete the message.

"Now, don't worry!" the man said as my finger grew dangerously close to pressing down the button. "You won't have to go _on _the island… if you accept what I am offering you."

I sat back to listen.

"We will pay you the sum of two…" The message was cut off and a beep resounded around the room.

"Will pay me what?" I asked no one in particular, a bit frustrated that I had not learned the amount. The next message came on and according to the automated voice, it was recorded just a couple minutes after the other.

"Oops, lost you there," the man said. "Where was I? Oh yes. We will pay you the sum of two million dollars if…"

I lost the rest of the sentence because I had fallen off the chair. Two million dollars! _Two million dollars_!This guy had to be _kidding _me. _Two million dollars_!!!!

"So, if you are interested, which we hope you are," the man said, "please call me at 475 201 0958 as soon as you can. I look forward to hearing from you!"

Beep!

I sat staring at the machine, completely missing the next message. _Two million dollars_!

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Short chapter, yes, but at least I got it up. I will be attempting to write more and get it up this month, but I can't promise you anything. I, sadly, lack the discipline to sit down and write something… most of the time… unless it is a new story plot. Please help me to update faster by reviewing!!_


	5. A Hurried Decision

**_A/N: _**_Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews! They mean so much to me!! You have no idea!_

_You know what? As of May 19, 2004, my story and this stories prequel (Return to Jurassic) _still _has the most reviews in the Jurassic Park section! I'm not bragging, trust me, I just want to thank every single one of you for your support. It is so awesome to receive this much feedback on one of my stories! It's not as much as one of my sister's stories (she has over 1000 reviews; check it out! Her name is Captain Oblivious and it is a Lord of the Rings story), but it's pretty good! 272 reviews or something like that. You guys rock!_

_

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_

**Replies **

**T.E.N – **No, actually, Eric is only 22. If you remember, he was 16 in the first book and now it is six years later.

**Hothunnies16 – **Thank you so much! It was really short, but I'm glad that you liked it!

**Niniane, Lady of the Lake – **No kidding. Two million is a _lot _of money!

**I – **You know I never reveal my hidden plot-secrets to you, missy.

**Plumkin – **Yes, well, here you go! Another chapter!

**Shooting Starlight – **Yeah, they don't really bother me either. I have a pet rat… I don't really care for them when they are "wild," though. You never know what they're going to do…

**Love-angel-89 – **Yeah, I liked that phrase as well. Thanks for the review!

**Libby – **Haha – I'm not going to take one of my reviewers to court! Lol. Yes, pointy objects. laughs evilly

**Her - **laughs Yes, I know you. grins

**Angel LeeAnn – **Oh my goodness! Thank you so much! I try my best and I am glad that you enjoy my books! They are a lot of fun to write, but reviews like yours make it worthwhile. Thanks (so much) again!

**Moonlights Sundance – **Yes, I'm sorry about the long wait on that chapter. This one didn't take nearly as long for me to get out. I think, now that I am getting past the more tedious things to write, I will be able to get the chapters out faster. Let's cross our fingers on that one, shall we?

****

**What Happened Last?**

****

"So, if you are interested, which we hope you are," the man said, "please call me at 475 201 0958 as soon as you can. I look forward to hearing from you!"

Beep!

I sat staring at the machine, completely missing the next message. _Two million dollars_!

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Five - A Hurried Decision**

I packed as fast as I could and shooed Tina out of the house in the direction of a hotel. I wanted to call that man without any distractions, and I knew Tina would only try to talk me out of it. But … _two million dollars_!!!

I practically ran into the kitchen, but right as I reached the phone, it rang. "Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Hello, honey!" It was my mom, Amanda Kirby. She was trying to sound happy, but I could see right through it, even though she had only said two words.

"What's wrong?" I asked, skirting around formalities.

"Oh!" She paused, and then said, "Well… I have bad news."

"I figured," I replied, trying to sound comforting and concerned, but coming off a little dry.

"It's… well, it's your dad."

The breath caught in my throat and a wave of fear slowly crept over me. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's okay… for now. But he has cancer. A brain tumor," she said.

I began to feel sick to my stomach. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure," she said. She sounded tired and scared. "Oh, Eric! We can't afford the surgery! Ever since your dad lost his job last year… Eric, I don't know what to do!" She broke down and began to sob into the phone.

I could feel tears prickling my own eyes. '_Who can I bum money off of?' _I thought desperately. '_There's Tina… but I've already borrowed so much from them! Then… wait a minute…'_

"Mom," I said quickly. "Mom, I can get the money."

My mom took in a quick, painful sounding breath and choked out, "You can?"

"Yes, Mom."

"But… but you don't even have a job!" she protested.

"I just got a fantastic offer," I explained. "I don't know when I start, but I'm pretty sure I'll get some money soon."

"Are you sure?"

"I was just about to call them when you phoned me," I said, my heart racing. "Just… how much money are we looking at here?"

"It's so much more than we can afford… more than a years worth of his old salary!" my mom said.

"I can do that," I said quickly. "Just give me a minute and I'll call you back."

"All right," she said, still sounding scared. "Goodbye…"

"Bye, mom."

I quickly hung up the phone and leaned back against the counter. After I had whacked my head against the cabinet several times and taken a few deep breaths, I picked up the phone and called the number the man on the machine had left for me.

It rang once, twice, and a third time before someone picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Hi, um… this is Eric Kirby and you left a message on my machine…" I said.

"Oh, yes. Hello, Eric," the man said, his voice giving off a hint of an English accent. "I take it this means that you are interested?"

"Possibly," I said. I needed to be cautious; I did not want to agree to anything without realizing it. "It depends on what you want me to do."

"I thought that is what you would say," he said. I could only assume that he was grinning. "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't even told you who I am. Where have my manners gone? My name is Jack Captain, but most people call me J.C."

"…Hi…" I said uncertainly.

"Yes, well, we really need your help on this mission, Eric," J.C. said. I could hear voices in the background. "Unfortunately, I don't want our conversation being overheard, so it would be easier for you to fly down and I could explain it to you here."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said stubbornly. I then realized that I had sounded rude, so I continued. "I mean, I won'tbe doing anything until I understand what I am expected to do concerting Isla-"

"Hush, Eric!" J.C. said quickly, cutting me off. "Look… you won't be going to the island … you'll be staying on the main land… we just need you on one side of the radio, that's all. If you could fly down here…"

There was a long pause.

With a sigh, I said, "Are you going to pay for the ticket or do I need to buy my own?"

"Excellent," J.C. whispered. I assumed that he had not intended for me to hear that. "I can have someone pick you up at your apartment tomorrow morning, if you like."

I paused to think. I still needed to tell Tina about this, and she was _not _going to be happy. But at least I wasn't going to be _on _the island. That much had pretty much convinced me to go. Someone wanted me because of my dinosaur expertise and knowledge of the island, but what were they asking for? What exactly where they going to be doing on the island? My wondering about this made me go so far as to voice the question aloud.

"I can't answer that, Eric," he said. "At least not now." He paused for a few seconds, as though this was a sufficient amount of time for me to think it over and come to a decision, and then said, "We will, of course, pay you half of the money up front."

I nearly swallowed my tongue. Half – that would be one million dollars! I would be able to wire it to my mom to pay for the surgery (keeping enough for myself while I was in Costa Rica… if that's where head quarters would be). My dad would be able to have the surgery, and hopefully that would be able to rid him of his tumor.

"Right," I said, barely believing what I was saying. "Who will be picking me up?"

J.C. sighed. "Two others on our team. Their names are Kevin Vector and Audrey Roosevelt. They both specialize in computer technology, but Kevin is also very handy with the weapons… but I'll explain more about this later. He will be driving the three of you to the airport tomorrow to fly down here – Costa Rica – and the day after that you will meet the whole team. Audrey has the plane tickets… but you will need a passport… I forgot about that bit."

"I have one," I hurriedly supplied. "Looks better on my resume – that way I can get jobs that require me to go out of the country."

"Excellent," he said. "All right, then; Kevin and Audrey will be at your apartment around nine AM. I will see you tomorrow?"

I paused just a second before I replied in a firm voice, "Yes."

_

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_

****

**A/N: **Sorry about another short chapter. Hopefully the next one will be longer. Actually… yes, it will be. I have no idea when I will be getting it out, but hopefully sometime this month. I _am _on summer break now. Yey!

Anyways, every single one of your reviews are read and appreciated like you can't believe. Thanks for all of you for your support of my story and I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy it.

-Autumn Darkness


	6. Team Mates

**A/N: **Ack, I'm behind a chapter. I was planning on posting one chapter a month… well… it is June and I am posting my sixth chapter, which means I am _behind!!! _I posted the story in December, if you are confused.

Okay, yes, this is a longer chapter, though still not terribly long.

So, read, review, and enjoy!

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**Replies**

**T.E.N. – **lol. Yes, actually, _many _parts can be rather sappy (which I, personally, do not really enjoy… but do not ask me why I write them). Thanks!

**I – **Yes, you have been lazy. :P Well, I am glad that all is forgiven. I do not know if I would be able to live without your forgiveness of my typing blunders! smirks (it's okay, people, I know her. I'm allowed to be sarcastic… aren't I?)

**Angel LeeAnn – **Glad to say that you did not have to wait as long as usual. Thanks, again, for the review!

**Hothunnies16 – **Thank you!

**Love-angel-89 – **I didn't make you wait too long. Aren't you proud of me? I certainly am. wink

**What Happened Last?**

****

"Excellent," he said. "All right, then; Kevin and Audrey will be at your apartment around nine AM. I will see you tomorrow?"

I paused just a second before I replied in a firm voice, "Yes."

* * *

**Chapter Six – Team Mates**

"Eric, you cannot do this; this is crazy! And you know it!" Tina exclaimed from the doorway. I ignored her and continued to pack. Kevin and Audrey would be there any second and because of Tina's badgering I was getting nowhere.

"Could you possibly hand my key over to the landlord?" I asked, cutting into her ranting. "I'm kind of short on time."

"If you would stay you wouldn't be!" she yelled, flinging her arms in the air. "Look, Eric, you _know _what happened last time you had _anything _to do with that island! Do you want that to happen again?"

"Lane is not going to be there this time," I whispered.

Tina paused. "Nevertheless; you're sure to get somewhat attached to the people you will be in contact with! You could make friends! Then what would you feel like if they-"

"Friends, hey, that's a novel idea. I need some more of those," I commented dryly.

"That is not funny. Look, what if… what if you get attached to this Audrey girl… like you were with Lane? Then what-"

I slammed my suitcase shut and spun around to glare at her. I could feel anger coursing through me. "Don't – say – that."

Tina faltered. "Don't – don't say what?"

"I could never… I would never… just don't talk about her, all right?" I turned back to my suitcase and latched it shut, and then turned and walked past Tina out of my room.

"Eric, she has been dead for six years. You need to lighten up."

"Lighten up?!" I exclaimed, rounding on her. "Don't tell me when to lighten up! You were not the one who watched that T-Red bite through her middle! You were not the one to hear her spine break and the sound of it echoing off the trees! You were not the one who practically caught her once she was dropped! You were not the one who watched her take her dying breath and to hear her last words! SO DON'T TELL ME TO LIGHTEN UP WHEN YOU HAVE _NO _IDEA HOW I COULD POSSIBLY BE FEELING RIGHT NOW, ALL RIGHT?!

Tina stood there, stunned and shaking. "I – I miss her too," she croaked.

"I know you miss her, but you are doing a heck of a job covering up your feelings!" I snapped.

There was a loud knock on the apartment door. Without a second look at Tina, I turned and marched over to it. Upon opening it, I saw a girl with short brown hair, large green eyes, and a small, slightly upturned nose waiting for me. She was wearing tight, corduroy pants, a white tank top, and a beige cap on her head. "Hi…" I said uncertainly.

"Are you Eric?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, you must be … Audrey?" I asked.

"Ugh, I hate my name," she said, rolling her eyes. "But yes, I am Audrey Roosevelt."

"Um… I'm Eric Kirby," I said.

She laughed. "Yeah, I know. So, are you ready to go? Kevin's waiting for us down in the car."

"Oh, right," I said quickly. "Just… let me say goodbye to my friend really quick."

Audrey nodded. "I'll wait out here."

I smiled at her, and then walked back into my apartment. Tina was sitting on a box and she looked pleadingly at me. "Please don't go, Eric!" she sobbed. "What if something happens to you?"

"I'm not going on the island," I said. "I'll be fine."

"I know, but… please, Eric! I just have a bad feeling about all this!" Tears were streaking down her face.

I walked over to her, knelt down, and pulled her into a hug. "I promise I will come back," I said into her hair. She sobbed again.

After giving her a squeeze, I pulled out of the hug, smiled at her, and then stood and left. At the door I turned and said, "'Bye, Tiny."

She gave me a feeble smile in response.

I gave her a lopsided smirk, and then closed the door. I turned and saw Audrey sitting on the railing, looking out over the rather pathetic view. "I'm ready," I said, picking up my suitcase.

"Okay, follow me." She led me down the stairs and to a waiting red convertible. The man sitting in it had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rather straight nose. When he grinned, he showed very straight, white teeth. "Just toss it in the trunk," he said.

I put my suitcase in the trunk, closed it, and climbed in the back. Audrey took the front seat. "Take us away, Ern," she said cheerfully.

The man laughed, switched into first gear, and then pulled out of the parking lot.

"So, dude, you must be Eric," the man said, looking at me in the rear view mirror.

"Yep, sure am," I answered.

"I'm Kevin, Kevin Vector," he said. "Do you know what you're going to be doing on the island?"

"I am not going to the island," I said hurriedly. "I'm staying in Costa Rica."

"Ah," Kevin said. He turned right onto the freeway. "What are you going to be doing there?"

"I don't know."

"Really?" Kevin asked, looking at me in the mirror again. "You _do _know _why _you're doing this, don't you?"

"Oh come on, Kev," Audrey said. "Stop asking him so many questions."

"I just want to make sure he _knows,_" Kevin answered her. "So that he doesn't walk into the meeting tonight without a clue."

"J.C. will have told him all he could on the phone," Audrey said, "and that was enough to get him to come, so stop hassling him. If there's something he needs to know before the meeting, Knight will tell him."

"I _am _here, you know," I said, finally butting into their conversation. "You can stop talking about me as though I'm not."

"Sorry, Eric," Audrey said hurriedly. "I just don't want to tell you more than we're authorized to."

"I… understand," I answered. It was rather confusing. What was so important that I needed to know?

The rest of the ride to the airport was very quiet, besides the fact that we were going sixty miles per hour on a freeway in a convertible.

"Look, man, sorry about that," Kevin said later as we pushed our luggage into the overhead compartments of the large airplane.

"Sorry about what?" I questioned, closing the white door with a snap.

"That… argument in the car," Kevin said, looking anywhere but at me.

"Oh, that," I answered. "No problem. I can wait… I guess."

I allowed Audrey to sit in the window seat, then Kevin to sit next to her, which gave me the aisle seat. Kevin and Audrey immediately started up a conversation, discussing something that had happened recently (and it had obviously been amusing… though I had no idea what they were talking about). I looked around the plane, only half listening to their conversation.

"Remember when she fell off the swing?"

"Oh, that was classic!"

The flight attendants were walking down the isle, closing the overhead bins. In a matter of minutes we were taxiing onto the runway. The flight attendants' speech about safety completely washed over me as fear crept into my mind, making me stiff and sweaty.

Isla Sorna.

Where Lane had died.

Where I had been so horrible to her.

Where she had grown to love me… where I had finally admitted to myself that I loved her… where we had kissed…

It all seemed so far away. But that one memory… yes, I still had it.

_I sat down on a branch and looked out at the trees. Lane suddenly appeared by my side and sat down. "No luck?" she questioned._

_I shook my head. "No," I said. "Now all we can do is hope."_

_"And pray," she added._

_"Yeah, that too," I agreed. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and leaned against the trunk of the tree. A few seconds later I sat up and leaned over my knees, resting my head in my hands. But after only another few seconds in this position, I sat up and looked at Lane. "Lane …" I said. But I shook my head and looked away. I couldn't say what I wanted to. What if she rejected me? Surely she would find me a freak. Who could blame her? _

_"What?" she asked. I didn't reply, so she grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. I looked down at our hands, at our interlocked fingers, and then looked up at her. She was so beautiful. Her red hair tumbled down around her face and fell over her shoulders. Her sparkling green eyes were full of concern. _

_ "You can tell me anything, Eric," she said softly. I could tell she was still mad at me. _

_I looked away and I started talking. "Lane … Do you want to know why I was such a jerk? I mean, the real reason?"_

_She sat up a little straighter. "Sure," she said simply._

_"Well … I was scared. For you … for me … I was just scared. I was afraid … I was getting too attached to you and I knew that if I lost you then it would be too painful to bear. And if you returned my feelings, if you lost me, then it would be too painful for you. That day Hannah died? I almost kissed you; I swear I did. But I knew that you were in pain, so I held back. Then … I thought that if I was a jerk, I could make you hate me so that you wouldn't hurt if I died. But I also tried to pretty much talk my way out of liking you by accusing you of things and getting mad at you all the time. _

_"But you know … it never worked? I was concentrating so much on trying not to like you; I was making myself like you even more. But that day, when you said you hated me … I realized my plan had worked, but only half way. I liked you so much that seeing my plan unfold and hearing those words I'd wanted to hear for a long time suddenly made me realize how much pain I had put you through and how much I didn't want you to hate me and how much … I … loved you."_

_She pulled her hand out of mine and brought both of them up to her face. _

_"I didn't want to hurt you, Lane," I said. "I wanted to save you pain. But then I realized that instead of saving you from it, I placed you in it. And on purpose, too. I'm really sorry. I truly am."_

_She placed a hand on my shoulder and a couple tears ran down her face. _

_I looked up at her and felt several tears spill from my own eyes._

_"Eric…" she started to say. But I cut her off by leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips._

_When I pulled back, tears were running so freely down her face that I thought she was going to flood the forest. The emotions that were running through my head were too jumbled up for even myself to understand. A tight knot was forming in my chest and I felt like crying more… but I felt so happy!_

_Her face held all of her confusion. One second she looked surprised, then happy, then angry, then back to happy. _

_She gave me a small smile. I smiled back, and leaned in to kiss her again. She kissed me back._

_But she quickly pulled out of the kiss. "I … I …" she stuttered, clearly searching for something to say._

_I looked at her questioningly. "Are you ok?" I asked. I reached for her hand, but she pulled back._

_She stood up and climbed down the tree. I called after her, but she kept on going, not looking back. _

__

I wrenched my eyes open and realized that the plane was in the air and that I had been sleeping. Kevin and Audrey were both silent, staring off into their own areas of space. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was ten thirty. We had been flying for about forty-five minutes. '_Only around three hours to go,' _I thought with a sarcastic cheerfulness. '_Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful._'

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**Author's note: **Aren't you proud of how soon I got this chapter out? I know I am… and it is nice in length, isn't it? Much better than my previous ones, I'll say.

Well, please review! Maybe I can get another chapter out this month! Wouldn't that be awesome??

P.S. My sixteenth birthday is on Tuesday! (June 15th) AH! I'm so excited!


	7. Beautiful Girl

**A/N: **I know you had to wait an _extremely _long time for this chapter, and I actually am _really _sorry. I'm just not on the computer as much during the summer. To prove how busy to you I actually was, however… in three months I went to four different states and three different countries. At _least _four weeks of my summer, I didn't really have the access to this computer (for writing time. More like checking e-mail and getting off so that I wouldn't be rude to a visiting friend). So I couldn't write on the chapter! The thing that took the _longest, _however, is to choose which dress Audrey is going to wear. I had to visualize it to really describe it, so I went searching, then I had to choose… then I had to figure out _some way to describe it_! Anywho, enough of an author's note and onto my replies!

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**Replies **

**I – **lol. Thanks for the happy birthday!

**Lauren – **Haha – Kevin _should _"look" familiar to you, since you know his … counterpart. Lol. Jk.

**T.E.N. – **Language, language. Lol.

**Captain Oblivious – **Should I just announce it to the world that Audrey is modeled after you, my dear sister?

**Libby – **Thanks for the happy birthday! … but I am confused… what were those numbers and things for…?

**Angel LeeAnn – **Thanks for the happy birthday! Well… I'm not driving _too _much and I still have my learner's permit (darn), but you better keep your pet birds inside. I've already hit one…

**Plumkin – **I agree. C.O.O.L., girl. All the way.

**Shooting Starlight – **CAPTAIN JACK!! Lol

**What Happened Last?**

I wrenched my eyes open and realized that the plane was in the air and that I had been sleeping. Kevin and Audrey were both silent, staring off into their own areas of space. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was ten thirty. We had been flying for about forty-five minutes. '_Only around three hours to go,' _I thought with a sarcastic cheerfulness. '_Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful._'

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Beautiful Girl**

I walked down the stairs and felt the hot, humid air of Costa Rica wash over me. The air seemed to be pressing in on me, trying to suffocate me.

"Over there," Audrey pointed to a Jeep parked beyond a chain-link fence. There was a tall man leaning against an army-green colored Jeep. He was wearing a cowboy hat pulled low over his brow. "That would be Knight," Audrey said.

"What's his job on the mission?" I asked as I picked my suitcase up from amid the large pile of luggage. "Need any help?" I asked Audrey, who was picking up a very large duffle bag.

"I got it," she grunted. "About Knight, though. He's kind of like… the co-leader. He's going to be going on the island with the rest of the team. You'll be staying back with J.C., apparently."

"What happened to not telling him anything?" Kevin asked, coming up beside her and giving her a cheeky grin when she glared at him.

"It's not like _that _information is confidential, _Vinny_," she said, stressing the nickname 'Vinny' as though he didn't like it when she called him that.

"Anything you say, _Teddy,_" Kevin replied, still grinning.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Where's a big stick when I need it?" she muttered under her breath.

"Guess you left that at home," Kevin replied.

"Yeah… I should have brought a bigger bag," she teased.

I walked silently next to them over the concrete toward the fence where the man Audrey called Knight stood waiting for us. They were excluding me from their conversation again. I could tell they had been friends for quite some time and weren't noticing that they weren't including me. It didn't appear as though they were anything more than friends, however.

* * *

Tina walked silently into the house and stared numbly around at her expensive furnishings. "Tina?" Brad called from the kitchen. "Eric? Is that you?"

"It's me," Tina said. Eric had gone. He had gone _back _to the island, after all that had happened. How could he? He was completely disregarding her feelings! It was so selfish of him! Sure, he needed money, for more reasons than one. But he was putting his life in danger. Did he know how she would live her life on the edge of her seat until he had returned safely?

He had said he wasn't going on the island. Had be been serious or just trying to make her feel better?

"Tina, honey?"

Tina looked up into the face of her husband. He still had blonde hair, just like he had way back when he was sixteen. It was cut in a neat style and his bright blue eyes held concern for his wife. "What's wrong?" Brad asked her.

"I… Eric…" Tina stuttered, searching for the right words.

Brad's face hardened. "What did he do?" he asked sternly. "Tina, what did he do to you? Are you all right?"

Tina spoke quickly. "No! Brad, it's nothing like that! How could you think of Eric like that?"

"Oh… well…" Brad said.

"No, it's… well… he's gone back," Tina sighed and sat down on a couch.

"Back where?" Brad asked, sitting down next to her and gently rubbing her back.

"To Isla Sorna."

"WHAT?!" Brad cried. He jumped up from the couch.

"Brad; Jenny," Tina tried to hush him. She knew it was Jennifer's naptime.

"How could he be so stupid? What's he doing that for? Is he crazy? He could get killed!" Brad yelled.

Tina rested her head in her hands and began to cry softly. After all Eric had been through, you would think that he would have the sense to stay as far away from the island as possible.

"Tina, honey, I'm sorry," Brad said when he realized that his wife was crying. He sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell…"

"He's just _so _stupid," Tina choked out. "How could he be doing this? That's where Lane died!" She sobbed, and then continued. "It's been six years and he still can't let her go. I still miss her, yeah, but it's nothing compared to what he feels! Six whole years, Brad! And yet he's going back to the place where she died! How can he bear it? Why is he doing it? Does he want us to deal with a death of another close friend?"

Brad rocked her back and forth and she cried into his shoulder. "I know, Tina," he said softly. "It doesn't seem right. We'll do something; I promise."

Tina sniffed and nodded. "God, please don't let him die! Keep him safe!"

* * *

After going through security, we met Knight out by the Jeep. He looked very young, but his face was still weathered. His arms and legs were tan and muscular and he had a long scar from the corner of his right eye down to the middle of his neck. He had brown eyes and the hair that wasn't under his hat looked black. "Let me help you with that," he said in a gruff voice. He took Audrey's bag and tossed it in the back of the Jeep.

Audrey flinched, but accepted the man's offered hand and climbed into the vehicle.

Kevin and I tossed our own luggage into the back. Kevin climbed in next to Audrey and I was left with the seat next to Knight.

All was silent as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed to wherever we were to be staying that night.

"I hear you've been on the island before," Knight said to me after we had pulled onto the freeway.

"Uh… yeah," I said.

"Why are you staying on the mainland, then?" he asked, almost accusingly.

"…Because I've been on the island before," I said as though it was the most obvious answer. It really did appear that way. Who in their right mind would willingly return to Isla Sorna for a third visit? I knew I sure wasn't.

"Your point?" Knight asked. Audrey and Kevin sat silent in the back of the jeep.

"I've been on the island twice. Ninety percent of the world has never experienced all of that terror in their entire lives. Sure, a plane crash, however rare, is one thing. But to live for a combined time of nearly four months on an island infested with dinosaurs and every day you wonder if you'll live to see another sunset… that is something completely different, and I personally never want to feel those things again. Ever."

"You were just a kid then," Knight said as though he hadn't heard anything I had said. "It can't be that bad."

I looked over at him, amazed. "So having twenty foot high creatures - maybe even taller - having them trying to eat you and your friends is nothing? Being an afternoon snack to some sort of reptile means nothing to you?"

"Naw," he said, slapping the steering wheel. "Like I said, you were a kid and unprepared. We're going to have all sorts of experts along with us. Plus guns and things. We'll be fine!"

'_I am _so _glad I'm not going to the island with him,_' I thought.

Instead of replying to this obviously under-researched statement, I sat in silent contemplation. If this was one of the men who was going to be heading up this mission… what was J.C. going to be like? You had to have something wrong with you if you thought normal guns and a group of experts was enough to keep you safe on _that _island.

It took us about thirty minutes to reach the hotel we were staying at. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw that it wasn't the same one we had stayed in six summers ago…

In fact, this one appeared nicer. Practically everything in the foyer was marble. There was a large fountain in the middle of the room with live fish swimming around in its depths. An artist was sitting off to the side, ready to draw pictures of tourists next to their favorite movie stars or singers… or just by themselves, tanning on the beach. All of the employees looked very prim and proper. There was even a place where you could go to get your shoes shined.

The smiling lady behind the desk handed me my room key, along with a brochure describing the nearby activities. She then went on to give be a short, well practiced description of their formal restaurant, café, and breakfast rooms.

My room was too big for a single person to be staying in. There were two beds, a desk, a very nice sitting area, plus a table and chairs and a balcony. The bathroom was about the size of the kitchen in my apartment. The view was amazing. I was rather high up, but that only meant that I could see more of the white-sanded beach stretched out below me. This, however, reminded me too much of my last trip to Costa Rica, so I walked back into my room and looked around.

* * *

I saw Lane, Tina, and Hannah standing a little separate from everyone else. I smiled at them, though I knew they wouldn't see it. Lane was so cute, resting most of her weight on one leg. She thought she was overweight, but she was only comparing herself to Sally and her posse. Did Lane know that I had liked her for at least two months now?

"What do you think we're going to be doing?" Tina asked her friends.

"Maybe we'll go horse back riding or swimming!" Hannah exclaimed excitedly.

I couldn't help but add to their conversation. "I hear we're going to be pulling the hairs out of your head," I said.

Lane jumped (only slightly, but it was enough that I noticed it) and turned around to face me.

"Yes, Eric?" she asked. She put on what I could only assume she found to be an annoyed face, but it was actually rather funny. So I laughed. Not out loud, no. I didn't want to make her feel stupid.

"You have a comment on a conversation you have no right to be listening to?" she added.

I smiled again and shook my head. "You're too much for me, Lane. Guess I better leave you alone before you tear me limb from limb."

"Don't worry, Eric," she said sarcastically. "I wouldn't act like one of your dinosaur friends."

* * *

I felt awkward in my suit. '_I bet I look like a penguin,_' I thought sourly. I looked around for someone I knew. That's when I spotted Audrey walk in through the opposite door. All the thoughts that had been in my head suddenly stopped and seemed to almost disappear all together.

She was wearing a long white dress with thin straps leading over her shoulders and ending just at the bottom of her shoulder blades, where the dress met them. Black lace rimmed the top of the gown all the way around to the back where it trailed the back seam to the floor. A short train flowed behind her, but it wasn't long enough to be a hindrance. It fit snugly to her form until it reached her legs and fanned out so slightly, however, that you hardly noticed it. It looked like she had attacked her short brown hair with gel to make it curl (though it looked a touch spiky because of its length). The longer front strands – bangs, I suppose – were held out of her face with a jeweled bobby pin.

The room seemed to be glowing and all was hazy but her. She looked around the room and when she spotted me, she smiled and began walking toward me. When I had first met her, she seemed somewhat like a tomboy (with a sense of fashion, nonetheless), but the way she walked… And she was walking toward me!

"Hey, Eric," she said when she reached me.

I quickly snapped my gaping mouth shut. Okay, so it wasn't exactly gaping. It was just open a few centimeters. Even so, I felt a bit foolish. "Hey, Audrey," I replied. It didn't come out as calm as I would have liked, but at least it hadn't sounded desperate.

"Could I eat dinner with you?" she asked.

"Sure! Of course!" I said stupidly.

"Thanks," she said. She then looked around a bit before continuing with, "Do you have a table?"

"Um… no," I said. "I was just about to get one."

"Okay," she said.

It was then that a waiter decided to spot me and lead us to a nearby table with a great view of the coast. There were only two seats at the table. "Er…" I said, "will Kevin be joining us?"

"No," Audrey said as the waiter pulled the chair out for her. She sat down gracefully. "He likes room service." At this she rolled her eyes.

"Ah," I said as I sat down.

The waiter then listed to us the specials and took our drink orders. "I vill be back in a moment," he said with a heavy accent.

I watched his retreating back, but all the while I was thinking about Audrey. I was a bit afraid to look at her.

"So where did you go to college?" she asked me.

Feeling as though my head weighed a thousand pounds, I slowly turned to face her. The light from the setting sun was shining down on her hair, making the red highlights stand out.

All of a sudden, I was rushed into a whirlwind of memories of a certain redheaded girl in bright colored dresses, standing off to the side of the dance floor and watching all the couples slow dancing. An envious look was plainly written on her features.

"Sad, isn't it?" I could hear a voice echo through the room, sounding just like Sally Grude, one of my high school 'friends.' "She's such a geek. That dress looks horrible!"

"Eric?" Audrey said, looking at me queerly.

"Sorry," I snapped back to reality. "What did you say?"

She looked at me a moment before replying. "Nothing." She looked out the window and sighed.

I ran a hang through my hair and looked around the dining room. It was a rather awkward, sitting at a table with someone I had only met that morning. What made it even _more _awkward was the fact that it was a _beautiful woman _I was sitting with… and it was only too easy to notice the glances that were floating her way from the other guys in the restaurant. I had no license to glare at them, however, which was a strange thing in itself.

Feeling the sudden need to initiate conversation, I turned to her and said, "Where do you live?"

This did indeed start a conversation. We talked mostly about where we lived and what we liked about it until our food came. We were silent for a few moments before a sudden question hit me and I asked her, "Why does Kevin call you 'Teddy'?"

Audrey laughed and cut through her steak. "Well… my last name is Roosevelt," she explained.

I smiled. "Ah," I said. "So is this something that everyone calls you or just Kevin?"

"Um… kind of just Kevin," she said. "My dad used to call me 'Teddy,' but…" She sighed and cut through her steak a little too vigorously and squirt juice on a passing waiter. "OH! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

I tried my hardest not to laugh as the waiter tried to assure her that it was fine and no harm had come out of it.

We moved on to a different subject once the waiter had gone and Audrey had stopped being embarrassed.

Dinner went by too quickly in my opinion. It was the first time in a long time that I had been so distracted, I had hardly thought about Lane at all!

I said goodbye to Audrey in the lobby and began walking toward the elevator (she was going to wait for Kevin) when someone called my name. I turned around and saw a man dressed in slacks and a black polo shirt. He had the kind of face that made him look as though he felt more important than everyone else. When his mouth was closed, it was a bit pinched. He looked rather tan, as though he had spent a lot of time in Costa Rica.

He gave me a short-lived smile, then waved me over. I slowly walked over to him and he motioned that I should follow him to a secluded part of the lobby where there were two chairs facing each other right next to a window. I followed him cautiously and didn't sit down when he motioned for me to. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to be polite, "but I don't know who you are."

"Forgive me," he said in an English accent. "I did not wish to be overheard. I am J.C., the man you talked to over the phone."

"Oh," I said quickly. His voice did sound a bit familiar…

I sat down, feeling a lot more comfortable.

J.C. sat down as well. He then turned to me and said, "Tell me, Eric, are there any questions you would like answered? Most of them will be answered at the meeting with the team tomorrow evening, but I can tell you a bit of the information you need to know tonight."

"Um…" I thought for a couple seconds. I knew what I wanted to ask. "Why am I here, sir? Kevin and Audrey were very hesitant in what they shared with me. I just want to know why you need me so badly."

"I believe I have said that your experience with the islands put us high on our list for our team," J.C. answered me. "I knew that you would most likely not wish to return to the island for a third time, but thought that you might possibly be willing to talk over the radio with our team, leading them around and such. They will have an… an expert along with them, who knows much about the… creatures there," his eyes shifted about to make sure no one was listening to him. Clearly he didn't want anyone to know what he was talking about. "His name is Landon Grey, a paleontologist. Have you heard of him?"

I nodded slightly. Dr. Grey had written several books on dinosaurs and different plant life from that era. I supposed he would be a good one to be tagging along with, even if he was rather stupid to be going to the island, due to how much he knew about dinosaurs. There were very few things _I _could ever disagree with in his works.

"Well… we would like you on the line just in case they come across something he doesn't know," J.C. said.

"Okay," I said slowly. "But what exactly are they going to be doing… where they're going?"

"Ah, that I can't tell you until tomorrow," J.C. said, smiling at me. "If you have no more questions…" I shook my head, "then I will see you tomorrow at the meeting. Audrey will pick you up at six p.m. Make sure you're in the lobby."

He stood up and walked away brusquely.

'_Interesting_,' I thought.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well… that was a long chapter by my writing standards! I hope you all enjoyed it, even though I know it wasn't worth the wait. Hopefully things will be easier to write from here on out so my next update _definitely _won't take this long! I just have to make sure I update another story that I haven't done anything with since _May_!!! Thanks for bearing with me, you guys! You're great! PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	8. Annihilate 23

**Author's Note: **Yes, I am (surprisingly) alive… and as well as can be expected when you're a junior. Too much work! Besides, my "one game of solitaire before I start writing"s take up a lot of time… lol.

* * *

**Replies:**

**Short and proud – **Holy cow! You signed in! I… am impressed.

**T.E.N. – **lol. That's very logical thinking… but unfortunately, Eric doesn't seem to be thinking very logically (by those standards).

**Aja – **Thanks for the questions! But unfortunately, I can't answer them. You're just going to have to wait and see…

**Love-angel-89** – Yes, I had a _very _busy summer. Now I'm having a busy school year. Joy of joys.

**RosyGrace** – Welcome! Thanks for reviewing my stories. I'm really glad that you like them.

**Sulkdodds – **lol. Thanks for sticking with me! And I'm glad to hear that this one is better than the last. I don't really care for most of the first one, sad though it may seem. **: D**

**What happened last? **

"Well… we would like you on the line just in case they come across something he doesn't know," J.C. said.

"Okay," I said slowly. "But what exactly are they going to be doing… where they're going?"

"Ah, that I can't tell you until tomorrow," J.C. said, smiling at me. "If you have no more questions…" I shook my head, "then I will see you tomorrow at the meeting. Audrey will pick you up at six p.m. Make sure you're in the lobby."

He stood up and walked away brusquely.

'_Interesting_,' I thought.

* * *

**Chapter Eight** – Annihilate 23

I exited the Deli and looked around the hotel's lobby. It was merely one o'clock. I had five more hours to kill before I needed to be ready to go to the team meeting with Audrey. What was there to do here that would not cause me to remember Lane and what we did six whole years ago? At least we weren't staying at the same hotel. That would have made things more than a nightmare. I was having a hard enough time dealing with the whole ordeal as it was.

"Eric?"

I turned around and saw Audrey walking toward me. "Uh… hi," I said, giving her a smile and trying to wipe the thoughts of Lane from my mind. Audrey did look somewhat like her… in an older, brown-haired sort of way. Her nose was different, but something about her just screamed 'Lane' whenever I set eyes on her. This, you would think, would also make things harder for me, but oddly enough, when Audrey was around, my memories of Lane nearly seemed to slip completely away. Like when you're holding water in your hands. It all drips down through your fingers until you are left with nothing but damp palms to remind you of what was once there.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" Audrey asked me as she reached my side.

"I didn't really have anything planned," I informed her.

"Would you like to go to the beach with me?" she asked. "This is pretty much the only time we have to relax this trip and I want to have some fun."

I smiled at her. "Sure! Should I run up to my room and grab some stuff?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll be out front by the fountain. Meet me there and we can walk to the beach."

"Okay." She and I separated and I walked over to the elevators. Maybe spending the afternoon with Audrey would do me good.

* * *

"I don't like him," Knight informed J.C. The two were seated in the sitting room of a suite. The French doors were open, and a welcoming breeze wafted in over the balcony and into the room, carrying with it the smell of the ocean.

"What don't you like about him?" J.C. asked, not looking up from his paperwork.

"I just don't like him," Knight stated. He squinted his eyes and looked out at the clear blue sky. "He isn't trustworthy."

"Trustworthy or not," J.C. said, still not looking at the man, "Eric is one of the best dinosaur experts to be found. We _need _him."

"What about Grey?" Knight said immediately.

"Landon Grey is an arrogant prat and you know it," said J.C. "He doesn't know as much as he boasts. Eric is ten times better. If only we could get _him _to go on the island…"

"The day Eric Kirby goes with us is the day I quit this thing," Knight snapped.

J.C. looked up from his work and stared at the man sitting across from him. His gaze did not merely look ticked off; it was almost murderous. "You quit and you'll regret it. I mean it, Adam. I told you when you agreed to partner with me; you back out and there _will _be consequences."

Knight pursed his lips and looked away from J.C. "I just don't trust him, that's all," he said. "Besides, Landon is going and he knows enough to get along. Kirby will just help him through, that's all."

"Exactly," J.C. said icily.

"Right, well," Knight stood to his feet and looked around the room. "Would you like me to send the guys up to start setting up the computers and other equipment?"

"Finally, you're being useful," J.C. said smoothly.

"That would be a yes?"

"YES!" J.C. snapped.

Knight narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. He only paused a moment before he exited the room.

* * *

I sat on the towel and silently watched Audrey and Kevin wrestle with each other in the water. It was easy to tell that Kevin was going easy on her, but Audrey could certainly hold her own against him. The whole ordeal was rather comical, actually.

Kevin was finally able to lift Audrey completely off her feet. This didn't work as well as he had hoped, however, as she wriggled so much, he lost his balance and they were both submerged in the salty ocean water. They both came up coughing. "Kevin, you turd!" Audrey exclaimed, hitting him over the head. "Now I'm going to have to take a shower!"

"You mean you weren't planning on doing that anyways?" Kevin asked. "Man, I'm not sitting next to _you _at the meeting!"

Audrey glared at him. "For your information, I was planning on taking a _bath_, but now I have to wash my _hair_."

"You mean you actually like sitting in luke-warm water surrounded by your own filth?" he mocked.

"_Urgh_!" she exclaimed before she waded out of the water, up the beach to grab her bag, and then up to the sidewalk, all while Kevin was laughing at her.

Kevin walked up the beach and sat on a towel next to me. "Such a temper," he said jokingly.

"Oh, of course," I agreed. We both laughed.

"So… what do you think of her, Eric?" Kevin asked, an evil glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes a bit.

"I _mean_," Kevin said, "what do you _think _of _Audrey_?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed. "She's cool," I supplied. "Nice."

"Not to mention hot, eh?" he teased, nudging me in the ribs.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah…."

"Right, well, I'm going to go up and take a shower. Don't forget about the meeting tonight!" Kevin stood up.

"All right, man. See you later," I said to him.

"Oh," Kevin said, just as he was about to leave. "I'll save you a seat next to Audrey." He winked at me, and then walked up the beach.

"Ha. Ha," I sarcastically laughed after him.

I looked back out at the beach. '_Why am I here?'_ I thought. '_This is so stupid. I mean… why entangle myself with things that concern this island? Isla Sorna. I haven't been there in six years. I've been _avoiding _going to Isla Sorna for six years. In fact, I could have gone on easily in my life if I had _never _even been there. This is ridiculous! I vowed that I would never again have anything to do with that island at Lane's funeral. Now what am I doing? Having something to do with the island. Ugh… Why am I even doing this??…_

_'Two million dollars…'_

* * *

I jumped into the Jeep and Audrey pulled away from the curb. "Are you ready for the meeting?" she asked.

"Er… ready?" I asked. "I didn't know that I had to do anything to get _ready_."

"What? Oh," she said distractedly. "That's right. Well… ah, I've lost my train of thought. Give me a second to find it."

I laughed. "Okay."

We sat silently in the car for a long while as Audrey sped down street after street, heading to who-knows-where.

"Do you like peanut butter?" she suddenly asked.

"I… what?" I looked over at her, confused.

"It's a simple question, Eric," she laughed. "Certainly you can answer _this _one."

"What do you mean, _this _one?" I questioned.

She shrugged and turned down a side street. "You just seem kind of distant, that's all. Just loosen up, man!" She reached over and punched me in the arm. "We're all in this gig together and if you don't get friendly, you're not going to enjoy yourself!"

"_Enjoy _myself?" I asked, astonished. "How could I possibly _enjoy_ myself?"

Audrey pursed her lips a little bit. "Oh, I don't know. Never mind."

"No," I protested. "Tell me."

"Never mind!" she exclaimed. "If you can't tell then I'm not going to tell you."

I sat and stared at her. What on earth was she on about? 'If you can't tell then I'm not going to tell you.' What was that?

"We're here," Audrey suddenly said. She turned the car off and stepped out. I followed her onto the sidewalk. We stood in front of an old pub. It looked dirty and run down, but it was obviously open. Audrey waved at me, indicating that I should follow her. We walked up an old metal staircase on the side of the building and stopped when we reached the tilted landing at the top. Audrey knocked on a heavy metal door on the side of the building and a small window opened at about eye level.

"What?" a man's voice said. I couldn't see anything of the speaker.

"Let us in, Bret," Audrey said.

"Who's 'us?'" Bret asked.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Audrey exclaimed. "We don't have time for this. We're late, Baker, so just let us in!"

"Don't call me by my last name," Bret said.

"I'm older, I get to do what I want," Audrey said.

"Uh, guys?" I said, breaking into their conversation. "If we're late, shouldn't we stop talking and go in?"

"Who are you?" Bret asked.

"Eric Kirby," I said tiredly.

"Right," Bret said. The window closed and a second later, the door opened from the inside and Audrey led the way in.

We walked down a dank hallway with only one very dim light in the middle of the ceiling. After the door closed behind us, I heard Bret follow. We reached a room at the end and Audrey opened the door. The three of us walked into a room with a long table in the middle that had chairs placed all around it. Audrey, Bret, and I took the three empty seats on the left side and I looked up at J.C., who was sitting at the head of the table. Knight sat at the other end.

"Right, now that we're all here," J.C. said, sending a reproving glance in Audrey's direction, "we can begin. Why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?"

Knight grunted.

"What?" J.C. snapped.

"Seems a waste to me," Knight muttered.

"Adam, I'm warning you," J.C. said. "We all talked about this earlier and you agreed…"

"To play along, I know," Knight replied.

"Guys!" Audrey exclaimed. "Remember who's here!"

Knight glared at me, then said, "Right. I'm Knight. I'm the co-leader of this… mission. I'm going to the island and you'll all have to answer to me, got it?"

J.C. cleared his throat. "That's good, Knight. Moving on…"

The woman sitting to Knight's right sat up a little straighter. She had straight black hair that fell to just below her shoulders. "I'm Becca Baker," she said. "I'm a plant specialist and know enough about weapons to get along on my own."

I recognized the man to her right, who went next. His name was Landon Grey and his was a paleontologist who was planning on going to the island. He had published quite a few books and his pictures were all over the place because he had discovered a rare species of Velociraptor buried somewhere in eastern Asia.

Kevin sat to his right and informed us all that he was a "computer geek," and a weapons specialist.

Audrey then told us that she was also a "computer geek" and if you had a question concerning computers, go to her first, then Kevin, as he would have his hands full doing other things most of the time.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Bret jumped ahead of me. Bret looked a tad on the young side. He had blonde hair and stunningly blue eyes. He wasn't exactly the tallest person around. "I'm Bret Baker," he said. "I'm the main weapons specialist."

I waited for a moment before I began talking, _just _to make sure it was _my _turn. "Um… I'm Eric Kirby," I said, "and I'm … not exactly a paleontologist but I'm somewhat of a dinosaur expert. I'm not going to the island, but I'm going to be back here on one side of the radio."

"_Somewhat _of a dinosaur expert?" Landon asked. He turned to J.C. "Why bring someone onto the team who is only _somewhat _of an expert? It's a waste of our money and time! How can he be trusted? You just…"

"Hey!" Audrey said. "Shut-up, bucko, all right? He has just as much right to be here as you have. You know what J.C. said earlier this afternoon…"

"Of course I know what he said!" Landon snapped back. "But that's not a good enough reason. I want to know why we're paying some half-wit. You, of course, as a woman wouldn't understand…"

"Excuse me!" Becca exclaimed. "Why would being a woman cause her to not understand?"

Their argument became more and more heated. I ground my teeth together. They were yelling over me as though I wasn't even in the room. Why did people always do things like this? I looked over at J.C. He was just sitting there, observing them quietly, until Audrey stood up to her feet in rage. "_That _is enough," J.C. said. It was amazing that they had even heard him above their ranting and raving, but they had, and they grew quiet. "Please sit down, Miss Roosevelt."

Audrey sat back down in her seat with a huff.

J.C. observed them quietly for a few moments before he spoke. "I think you all owe Mr. Kirby an apology."

"Sorry," Audrey and Becca both said quickly and quietly, but Landon said, "Apologize? Why?"

"Mr. Grey, if you are not willing to cooperate, I will be forced to remove you from the operation. We don't want that, now do we?" J.C. said quietly.

Landon pursed his lips. He sat staring at J.C. for a moment before he said, without turning his head in any direction, "Sorry."

"That's better," J.C. said. "Now that we're done with our little squabble, we can begin our meeting, as I am sure Mr. Kirby is very curious why he is here. You, no doubt, would like to have some things explained to you?"

"Yes, please," I said quickly.

"All right then," J.C. said. "As all of you are aware, our mission involves a certain island titled Isla Sorna. What some of you _don't _know is what we are going to be doing there and why we are even bothering to go at all.

"Most of you, no doubt, have never heard of a group entitled the _Imperium Electum_. In fact, those who _have _heard of this team are either sitting in this room, out doing specified work similar to this mission, or… they are in places that are not needed to be mentioned. They symbol 'IE' is very well know to the people of Costa Rica. This we will not have to go into, however.

"I myself am the co-leader of the entire Electum and it was my duty to find you all, hire you, and bring you here so that you could be briefed.

"Now that you know _who _has hired you, I suppose you would be interested to know _why_ they have hired you. This is actually very simple. If you will look in front of you, you will see that you have a folder with the symbol 'A23' etched on front. This stands for 'Annihilate 23.'

"But why is it called that? That fact is very easily explained. Our soul mission on Isla Sorna is to hike to the center of the island and wait for a helicopter to deliver a box. Inside this box is a highly complex bomb. Not nuclear, as we could not gain permission to use one.

"What _we _are striving to achieve is to destroy the island all together. Mr. Hammond, the initial creator of the dinosaurs passed away last year and his ancestors have requested the complete _annihilation _of the islands. We are to begin with Isla Sorna.

"Unfortunately, this will be our twenty-third attempt. Thus, Annihilation 23. It's all quite simple.

"As it is getting late, I suggest you all head back to the hotel and look over the paperwork in your respective folders. You will be leaving tomorrow morning and any questions you have will be answered by either Mr. Knight or myself," J.C. finished. "Goodnight."

* * *

**Author's Note: **A_ha._ Now you know what they're going to be doing! Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. Hopefully this won't happen again!

Please review!


	9. Animated Butterflies

**Author's Note: **I am going to be bad and use the same excuse that I always use when I make you guys wait this long. I was extremely busy. Not only has school been very demanding (nothing to you college folk, I'm sure), but from last Wednesday night, I have only had one night free. Church, ice skating championships to go to, friends house to spend the night at, night off, church and spending the night at a friends house, going downtown and watching a movie… and babysitting, and Tuesday night, American Idol started and I got to see all the bad singers! The _best _part of the show, that is. So, here I am, cramming in a chapter that I know will most likely be crappy, although you lovely reviewers will say it isn't. Hooray! At least I know that you're fine with what I consider crappy chapters, and when I write something good, I will _blow your socks off! _–laughs evilly-

* * *

**Replies**

**T.E.N – **Wow, you reviewed fast. Contrary to popular belief, however, Eric could most likely become dumber, as you humbly put it. Stay sweet, dude!  
**Ophelia Drowning – **Yes, well, apparently it is very difficult for me to write chapter stories as well. –laughs-  
**short and proud – **Yes, I am quite amazed that you signed in. Very proud. –claps- Yes, I had the "A23 thing" planned out from the beginning. I've had most of the story planned out from the beginning. I've had the _whole thing _planned since the end of November. Although I think I might change some of it, as it's pretty pre-teen sounding and not so creative.  
**crazy4coco986 – **Well, I'm glad to hear that my update made your day. It's a huge complement when your story tops all the other good things that happened to a person that day! Lol. Unless you just had a really bad day and my story was the best thing you could find that would give you happiness. Hmm…  
**sulkdodds – **Yes, I quite agree. They do suck. Twenty-three times is quite a lot.  
**Lauren – **And… a month later… I still hadn't updated. How sad.  
**love-angel-89 – **Yes, I'm quite happy that most things we explained, as well. Although there's still a bit mystery awaiting you… -grins-

**What Happened Last? **

"Now that you know _who _has hired you, I suppose you would be interested to know _why_ they have hired you. This is actually very simple. If you will look in front of you, you will see that you have a folder with the symbol 'A23' etched on front. This stands for 'Annihilate 23.'

"But why is it called that? That fact is very easily explained. Our soul mission on Isla Sorna is to hike to the center of the island and wait for a helicopter to deliver a box. Inside this box is a highly complex bomb. Not nuclear, as we could not gain permission to use one.

"What _we _are striving to achieve is to destroy the island all together. Mr. Hammond, the initial creator of the dinosaurs passed away last year and his ancestors have requested the complete _annihilation _of the islands. We are to begin with Isla Sorna.

"Unfortunately, this will be our twenty-third attempt. Thus, Annihilation 23. It's all quite simple.

"As it is getting late, I suggest you all head back to the hotel and look over the paperwork in your respective folders. You will be leaving tomorrow morning and any questions you have will be answered by either Mr. Knight or myself," J.C. finished. "Goodnight."

* * *

**Chapter Nine** – _Animated Butterflies_

I could feel the butterflies swarming around my stomach. There was no way there couldn't actually be some sort of flying insect inside of me. I could feel the wings fluttering around, hitting the walls of my stomach and making me queasy. The elevator was going as slowly as it possibly could; I knew it was. Everything was set against me getting to the meeting on time, or even there at all. Maybe this was a good thing, though. Did I really want to get involved with this island? '_Too late, Eric_,' I thought to myself. '_You've practically signed the papers. Besides, you guys do this right and you won't have to deal with the islands anymore. Just take deep breaths, and you can make it through this.'_

It was then that the elevator doors opened and I found myself on the uppermost level of the hotel. This was where the suites were, and this was where our control room was. It seemed strange to have a control room in a hotel and not some sort of warehouse, but at least it was easy to get to from my room. In any kind of emergency, I could be there to make sure Audrey was all right.

'_Oh, crap,_' I thought, mentally hitting my forehead as I slowly walked down the hall and attempted to calm my butterfly-full stomach. '_I can't think of her that way,_' I scolded myself. '_Remember Lane.'_ My stomach practically leapt, but I wasn't sure if it was because I had reminded myself of Lane, or because I had reached the suite. I reached out to run my key through the lock, but paused. This was my last chance. My one chance to get away from everything. The island, Knight, the nearness to Lane's death… everything. I could make it all go away if I just turned around and went back to my room, grabbed my things, and took the first plane flight out of here. I already had a million dollars. I could pay for my dad's surgery, pay Tina and Brad back, and finally get a job, _any _job that I could. I could start over! I could forget about Audrey and keep Lane as the distant memory I had begun to know her as since I had come here.

My hand was already retreating from the door when it opened and Audrey poked her head out. Her green eyes lit up at the sight of me and the already unbearable butterflies gained their second wind; I felt like throwing up. "Hey, Eric!" she said, smiling and flashing her straight white teeth. "We've been waiting for you. Come on, we've gotta get cracking! Are you okay?" she asked, as she opened the door for me to enter. She was wearing a green tank-top and somewhat loose fitting khakis.

"Eric?"

I looked up at Audrey's face.

"Why are you staring at my pants?" she asked, giving me a slightly amused, slightly bewildered look.

"I – um – no reason," I stuttered.

"All right," she laughed. "Come on in. J.C. wants to give his motivational speech!"

I laughed nervously and followed her into an adjoining room. The windows had been covered with heavy black fabric. Dim lamps and computer screens gave the room an eerie glow.

"There you are," said J.C. gruffly. "I thought I told you to be here at six a.m. sharp."

"Isn't it six?" I asked.

"It's six-o-four," he snapped.

I ran my hand through my hair and looked at the faces of those gathered around. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Right, well, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Landon is sick," J.C. exclaimed.

The room hushed. Everyone stared at J.C. in amazement. "So is this it?" Bret asked. "Is our mission scrubbed?"

"No!" snapped J.C. "Not if I can help it. We still have Eric. Everything will be fine."

"Right," I said. "We'll just talk over the radio and I can help you guys out, 24/7. Whenever you need me. If you just-"

"No, Eric, that's not what I meant," said J.C, as though he was explaining something like what paper is used for to a child.

I furrowed my brow. "What-?"

Then I knew. Landon was sick. The only other dinosaur expert was sick and I had to fill his shoes. _I _had to go to the island!

"Let me see if I've got this straight," I said slowly, trying not to allow myself to panic. "Do you mean to tell me that you expect _me _to go to the island?"

J.C. just stared at me. I stared right back. He wasn't going to get me to go there without a fight.

"Of course he does," grunted Knight. "We need _someone _who knows at least a little about dinosaurs to go with us. That _someone _is obviously _you_, dumb-"

"Knight," Audrey snapped.

I was breathing shallowly and still glaring at J.C. Neither of us had looked away from each other. I could feel my face reddening in anger. "No," I breathed.

"What?" J.C. whispered back.

"I said no," I snapped. "I'm not going back there. You _cannot _make me."

"Eric, come on," Audrey tried. "We really need you-"

"Find another bloody dinosaur expert!" I yelled, still looking at J.C. "I'm not going to be your puppet, and I'm not going there because you offered me a ruddy two million dollars."

"_Two _million?" Knight exclaimed. "J.C., what's going on? How come none of _us _got offered two million dollars, eh? We're just as good as him! Even better!"

"We will discuss money later, Adam," J.C. snapped. "Eric, I know you don't want to go, but unfortunately… you don't exactly have a choice."

"What do you mean, I don't have a choice?" I snapped. I took a threatening step toward J.C., saw his eyes flit to either side of me, saw him nod, and felt a something hard hit the back of my head. That's all I knew until I woke up in a narrow bed. I sat up quickly and looked around. I had no idea where I was. Standing up, I stumbled and caught myself on the edge of a table. The floor was moving! What was going on? With unsteady steps, I opened a rather small door, ducked through it, and walked down a hall toward where voices were coming from. I entered what looked like some sort of cargo room. The rest of the team were sitting on various crates, having different sorts of conversations, but they all fell silent when I joined them. "What is going on?" I nearly shouted. "Where am I?"

"You, my friend," said Kevin, giving me a cheeky grin, "are on The Unicorn."

"What they heck is The Unicorn?" I snapped.

"It's the boat that is taking us to Isla Sorna," Knight said pleasantly from behind me. "Better get comfortable, mate. I doubt the captain will let you have her bed the rest of the trip."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Dun, dun, dun. Hehe – that was fun! Yes, I know very well that wasn't the longest chapter in the world (usually I'm concerned about making my chapters long, but this time I just wrote it), but oh well! Please review! I love you guys! 


	10. Americanos Estúpidos

**Author's Note: **Okay. –breathes heavily- I have arrived. I had to go through many obstacles to reach you, but here I am! And here's my new chapter – I suppose this is a perk. Read on!

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**Replies**

**T.E.N. – **I was a bit confused by your review, but I'm going to do exactly what you told me not to. I'm _so, so, so, so, so, so, SO _sorry about your sister! I don't know what I would do if I lost my sister. I really don't know. Even thinking about it makes me cry. It seriously does. I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry! -cries for you-

**The Lone Editor – **Yes, I realized later on that I said ancestors instead of descendants. I actually think someone else pointed that out to me as well. I, of course, have yet to change it. Thanks for the review!

**Ophelia Drowning – **But I'm not staring at your pants… Oh! I get it! Audrey said that! Haha – hmm… guess I don't know my own book that well, eh?

**Lauren – **Wow, are you _still _on the edge of your seat? Ouch… better get back. Month long waits are too long for _that _kind of strenuous work!

**Tinkes-belle85 – **You're lucky; you read this just as I was beginning to plan an update. Good for you! Thanks for the review! Hey, that rhymed. Spiffy!

**Shooting Starlight – **That's okay. Yes, Eric is still his moody self. -shakes head at moody Eric-  
**crazy4coco986 – **I'm glad that my chapters are worth the wait… but this time I don't think it was… I made you guys wait much too long for this update.

**What Happened Last? **

"What do you mean, I don't have a choice?" I snapped. I took a threatening step toward J.C., saw his eyes flit to either side of me, saw him nod, and felt a something hard hit the back of my head. That's all I knew until I woke up in a narrow bed. I sat up quickly and looked around. I had no idea where I was. Standing up, I stumbled and caught myself on the edge of a table. The floor was moving! What was going on? With unsteady steps, I opened a rather small door, ducked through it, and walked down a hall toward where voices were coming from. I entered what looked like some sort of cargo room. The rest of the team were sitting on various crates, having different sorts of conversations, but they all fell silent when I joined them. "What is going on?" I nearly shouted. "Where am I?"

"You, my friend," said Kevin, giving me a cheeky grin, "are on The Unicorn."

"What they heck is The Unicorn?" I snapped.

"It's the boat that is taking us to Isla Sorna," Knight said pleasantly from behind me. "Better get comfortable, mate. I doubt the captain will let you have her bed the rest of the trip."

* * *

**Chapter Ten –** _Americanos Estúpidos_

I felt anger swell within myself. The bump on the back of my head began to throb in pain and I heard someone exclaim that they never thought someone's face could get so incredibly red. "Eric, breathe!" Audrey said, coming up to me.

I clenched my teeth together and suddenly it seemed that even my _eyes _were throbbing in anger! They were most likely protesting at the lack of oxygen, so I decided to take Audrey's advice and took a breath. The throbbing stopped, but there was still an overwhelming feeling of suffocation in my chest due to my bottled up anger. "Do you want to talk?" Audrey asked, putting her hand gently on my arm.

I roughly shook her off. I could not have unclenched my teeth if I had wanted to. Talking was dangerous when I was this angry.

With a feeling of desperation, I looked around the room and, upon spotting a ladder, stormed over to it and climbed it, one rung at a time. A wave of salty air filled my lungs. Blinking away small beads of moisture, I stepped onto the deck of the ship and looked around. It was what looked like an ordinary fishing boat, but I had a feeling it was just a disguise.

The sky was covered in thick grey clouds, and an occasional raindrop found its way onto my skin. The ocean water around us was rough.

"Hey, you!" someone said from behind me. I turned around and saw a weathered Hispanic woman wearing a bright yellow rain-slicker making her way toward me. "What are you doing up here?" she snapped. "Your lot's supposed to stay down under! I thought I told you all! No sé usted los americanos sobrevive. Usted es todo tan estúpido."

"Hablo español," I said, grinning slightly. "But I agree. I don't know how Americans survive; we are stupid. I'm sorry, though. I didn't know we were supposed to stay below deck. I was unconscious."

"I do not know much English," the woman explained.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You are doing extremely well!"

"Gracias, senor, pero…" she motioned toward the ladder I had just climbed.

"Right," I said. "¡Tenga un día agradable!" I called as I began to climb down the ladder. How she could have an agreeable day, I did not know, but I supposed it was polite to wish her one anyway.

When I reached the bottom of the ladder, I looked around at all who were gathered in the hold and was surprised to realize that all of my anger had drifted away. Now that I focused, however, it returned with ease. With a sense of determination, I walked over to Knight. "We need to talk," I said.

"Alright, fussy-boy," he said, giving me an annoyed look. "We can talk. But I bet I know exactly what you are going to say."

"When I was hired," I began in an icy tone, "I was told that I would not have to go on the island. Yet here I find myself _on _a _boat_, on its way to _Isla Sorna_. This was neither part of my understanding, nor of our _agreement_. As I agreed to fly down to Costa Rica and _only _Costa Rica, I do not see why I may not fly _back _with the money you have already paid me. I stepped into this of my own free will; you can hardly tell me that I cannot step right out again."

"Listen, mate," Knight said. He not only _looked _annoyed now, but he also sounded quite perturbed. "You're in for the long haul. Get it through your thick scull and bunker down with the rest of us. We nearly there."

"_No_!" I yelled, adding an expletive and slamming my hand down on the crate the man was sitting on.

"Well _someone_ has a temper problem," I heard Kevin mutter.

Choosing to ignore this, I continued to glare at Knight.

"Well that was profound," he mocked. "Like I said, you're in for the long haul. _Get. Comfortable._"

I gritted my teeth. I was not going to give up this easily. Did this guy think I was an idiot? I had been on Isla Sorna _two times before_! I was _not _going to roll over and let it all pass. I was _not _going on the island again. Nothing in Heaven or Hell could persuade me to.

"Eric," I soft voice said. Audrey was standing next to me, giving me what I assume she supposed was a warm, friendly look. Right now, however, it only looked inhospitable. She most likely thought that her femininity could cool me over. Her whole darned gender thought they were God's bloody gift to mankind.

My thoughts were getting out of hand. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and said in as kind of a tone that I could muster, "What?"

"Please let it go," she pleaded. "I don't think there's anything you can do… and besides, we really _do _need you! We could all very well die without your help!"

Knight huffed in reproach, but said nothing.

"Audrey, you are going to die with or without my help," I said.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Very, very short chapter, but don't worry; I will not be posting this chapter until I am mostly done with the next. That way you won't have to wait very long. 

Please review!


	11. Isla Sorna

**Author's Note: **Well it has been a total of… -counts on fingers- fifteen seconds since I completed the last chapter. Woot! Go me!

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**Replies: **

**Crazy4cocc986 **Thank you, hun! –hugs-

**T.E.N. **You're welcome, and I know that you didn't ask for any sympathy.

**Ophelia Drowning **–bows- Thank you, thank you very much. –blow kisses- I'm here until Thursday!

**Sulkdodds **Yes, I would say Eric is getting quite annoying. And no, I don't believe that it will do him any good either. Thanks for the review!

**What Happened Last?**

"Please let it go," Audrey pleaded. "I don't think there's anything you can do… and besides, we really _do _need you! We could all very well die without your help!"

Knight huffed in reproach, but said nothing.

"Audrey, you are going to die with or without my help," I said.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven** – Isla Sorna 

Blinking the droplets of moisture out of my eyes, I peered through the mist in hope of seeing the island that would surely bring my death. Or maybe I did not wish to see it. The only reason I was looking was because the captain (who I had discovered was the Hispanic woman I had talked with earlier) claimed that Isla Sorna was not far off.

"Eric, are you coming?" Audrey asked as she swung her leg over the side of the boat and began to descend a moldy rope ladder to the waiting raft below.

'_No_,' my mind said. "Yeah," is what actually came out of my mouth. '_Ugh, why the _heck _are you doing this, Eric_?_ You're such a freaking imbecile.'_

With a sigh and one last quick look around the boat, I swung my leg over the railing and followed Audrey's path of descent into a grey raft, knowing that every step I took was another step toward my doom. At least I would leave this miserable life behind.

Adam Knight and Bret Baker were already in their raft and were waiting for us about ten yards off. They were to lead us into shore and make sure we could land without much danger. Right, like _that _was going to work. Kevin Vector and Rebecca Baker were close behind them, carrying much of the supplies in their slightly larger raft. Audrey and I took up the rear once we were both situated. Audrey took control of steering while I sat up front with a large shotgun propped across my knee and pair of binoculars to my eyes, searching the fog for the island that was supposedly looming just beyond my sights.

"There it is!" Audrey yelled above the roar of the motor. I quickly looked up to see in which direction she was pointing, then looked back through the binoculars and could easily see the volcanic island jutting up out of the ocean. Large waves crashed against the side of the cliff, sending foamy white spray in every direction. We were not yet close enough to hear the roar, but with the speed of our boats, we soon would be.

_The parasail was opened and Ben and I were suddenly jerked back away from the boat._

I shook my head. What was that? Blinking fiercely as a large bout of spray hit my face, I put the binoculars back to my eyes.

_We were jerked up and down and suddenly, there was no more fog. Down below, the speed boat glared up at us, covered in red blood and not a person in sight. _

I rubbed at my temples. These were not such pleasant memories. Seven years ago I had been stranded on Isla Sorna, due to a parasailing accident. I had been alone on the island for eight weeks. I could still remember when…

_The deep green foliage rushed up to meet us. Ben continued to tell me that everything would be okay. We crashed through limb after limb of trees until we were jerked to a stop. With a bit of instructions from my soon-to-be step dad, I unclasped myself from the harness and feel to the forest floor. Quickly scrambling to my feet, I turned back and informed Ben that the video camera was still recording. He quickly turned it off. That's when it happened…_

"We're nearly there!" Audrey shouted. I pulled myself out of my memories and realized that we had been skirting around the edge of the island and were now heading toward a small beach. "Hang on; this is going to get rough!" Audrey said, jerking her head toward a large wave behind us.

With my left hand I clasped the white rope that went around the raft and in my right, I held the shotgun close to my side. The binoculars swung around my neck and I could feel my stomach doing flip-flops. We dipped down suddenly, and then rose again. As we reached the top of a wave, I could see Kevin and Rebecca in their raft, but as we dipped for a second time, they were lost from my sights. Audrey strained and pulled, her muscles nearly bulging from the intense workout. "_Do you need help_?" I yelled back at her.

"NO!" she shouted back. "_Stay in the front – I need your weight there_!"

I nodded to show that I understood and watched as we breeched a wave just in time. We sped forward, just out of reach of the foaming masses of water cascading down toward us. But before they could reach us, Audrey had maneuvered us over the next wave. Down we went and few seconds after, we were found at the top of another wave. I took a quick look at the beach before we plunged down again. We were getting closer, and of what I could see, the waves would be getting smaller soon.

This assumption had been correct. We were soon out of the immediate danger of the crashing torrents, but a more deadly and painful path lay ahead of us. Isla Sorna's rocky ledges glared down at us threateningly, as though daring us to come farther. The grey clouds above moved swiftly and cast unnatural shadows on the island.

I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat, but it just would not go away. '_You're a moron, Eric James Kirby,' _I though harshly to myself. '_If you make it out alive, I hope you die the day you get home. Then maybe you'd learn_.'

The beach arrived too quickly and I was soon up to my chest in the salty ocean water. Audrey had switched the motor off and I silently pulled the raft through the water, lifting my feet and gliding forward whenever a wave hit us. Kevin quickly waded into the water and helped me pull the boat up on shore, then unload it. Knight and Bret were off "making a perimeter," Kevin informed me in a whisper.

Once everything was out of the raft, Audrey pulled the pin and the craft was deflated in a mere five minutes. I helped her to fold it up, and then place it in a plastic container. We buried all of the rafts in the sand and Kevin marked the spot with a long metal stake.

Once we had set up camp just inside the cover of trees, I cautiously walked back onto the beach and stopped just before the water would have touched the toes of my boots. I knelt down and picked up a handful of damp sand and looked at it, rubbing it between my fingers.

_Costa Rica slowly grew smaller and smaller as we flew into the clouds. For a few seconds all you could see out the window was white and then, we burst through the clouds into the sunshine. I clutched the armrests of my seat and clamped my teeth together. My eyes stayed fixed on the seat back in front of me and there was a slight ringing in my ears._

_They were taking me back to Isla Sorna._

_And there was nothing I could do about it._

"Eric?" someone asked.

I jumped and stood up, turning around. Audrey was standing just behind me. A slight breeze ruffled her short brown hair and she looked at me with a bit of concern. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," I said shortly. I turned around and looked back at the water.

"I know you didn't want to come, Eric, but," Audrey began.

I cut her off before she could say any more. "If you don't mind, I would like to be alone for a bit."

"Right," she said softly. "Don't stay out in the open too long, okay?"

There was a pause before I heard her silently walking back toward camp. With a sigh, I relaxed my hands and my handful of sand slowly slid from my fingertips.

_"Lane is such geek!" _

_"I can't believe Lane stood up for that idiot, Eric!"_

_"Lane's so fat and ugly!"_

_Lane was sitting in front of me, and I could tell that her shoulders were tense. She could hear every word they were saying about her. She didn't deserve it. I was one the one who deserved it, not her. I had been a jerk. _

_A voice suddenly came over the loud speaker of the plane. "Now don't get too excited, kids. This isn't the island we're headed for." I looked out the window and saw an island below us. Strange how I had not seen it before. " This one is Isla Nublar, site A. The weather and the densities of the foliage make it pretty much impossible for us to have a comfortable tour, so we're going to be heading to the second island, Isla Sorna. On this island we will be able to see the Pteranadons and the Spinosaurus, which are two of the dinosaurs that are not on Isla Nublar."_

_I let out a long breath and took in another one. It was hard not to hold my breath. Lane turned around to look at me. The sun shone on her dark red hair and I wondered how anyone could dislike someone so beautiful. How could anyone think she was less than gorgeous? She smiled slightly, but this only made me feel guilty, so I turned away. I don't know when she turned around again._

* * *

Audrey opened the packets with a few swift strokes of her knife and placed the floppy, brown, rubbery looking meat substitutes on a battery powered grill. After placing a clear plastic lid over the top, she came over and sat next to me. "Have you had enough alone time?" she asked teasingly. 

I lifted my head from my arms. "We really shouldn't talk," I replied. I then lowered my head back down onto my arms and gazed at the odd shadows cast on the trees by our lamps. "We shouldn't even have those things turned on," I commented.

"What things?" Audrey asked.

"The lamps," I said quietly, sighing.

"Mmm," Audrey replied simply.

With another sigh, I picked a stick up off the ground and examined it in the dim light.

_There is was… Isla Sorna, looming up out of the thinning mist, threatening me and taunting me. We flew over a couple mountains and then swooped down low over a valley. The sight was far better than I remembered, but my terrifying memories caused my chest to constrict and breathing became more difficult than ever. _

_Herds of fifty feet tall Brachiosauruses were standing up on their hind legs to pull leaves off of trees; waddling Ankylosauruses were eating the long grasses by a river; strange looking Parasaurolophuses were clumped together with a heard of Corythosauruses standing nearby; then who could forget the ever so famous Stegosauruses and Triceratops? It all looked so peaceful. _

_Everyone around me forgot the thoughts of the day and crammed together to look out of the windows as the science teacher rambled on about their eating habits and such. No one was listening to him. I looked out of my window down at the animals below, enthusiasm showing through, but fear was still wrapped around me like a wet blanket. I loved the herbivores, after all. _

_I glanced over at Lane as we began to circle around again. She looked happier than I had seen her in a long time…_

"Eric?" Audrey asked. I looked up at her. "Why are you staring at a stick?"

I quickly dropped the stick on the ground and dusted my hands off. Clearing my throat, I looked out into the jungle, listening to the sounds around us and hissing at Bret to shut-up when he dropped his canteen. "Keep your shorts on!" he hissed back.

_We must have circled and re-circled the island two dozen times before the pilot announced that we must turn back. A loud groan came from everyone but me. I breathed a sigh of relief. _

_"Well that was far better than I had expected," I heard Tina say._

_Lane muttered something, but I could not hear it. She did not look happy any more. She looked extremely dejected. _

_"Hey look!" one of the freshmen cried. We all looked out of the windows and saw, flying along beside us, a Pteranadon. Another one joined him, then another, and then another. My stomach twisted into knots and watched with dread as the winged dinosaurs flew along beside us. _

_"My gosh!" a girl cried. "What are they doing? Bidding us farewell?" A lot of people laughed, including Lane. I merely felt sick to my stomach. Whatever they were doing, they were _not _bidding us farewell. _

_That's when what I had been dreading happened… _

Audrey flicked the side of my head. "Are you even listening to me?" she exclaimed.

"Shush!" I said, more loudly than I had intended.

"What the heck is your problem?" she snapped. "I'm trying to be nice and civil because I _know _you didn't want to come, but all you're being is a jerk!"

"Look, Audrey, can we talk about this later?" I attempted to reply kindly, but I do believe it came out quite the opposite.

"There's nothing better than the present, Mr. Kirby," she hissed. She looked quite dangerous when she was angry.

"Why are you so pissed off at me?" I questioned.

"Why are you so pissed off _all of the time_?" she shot back. "Look, whatever. It's your problem. Just stop being so bloody full of yourself and accept that you are _on this ruddy island _and you _will _be for a while. Get used to it. Get used to us."

"You have _no _idea," I muttered.

"No idea about what?" Audrey snapped.

"About anything," I shot back. "About this island. About the animals here. About _me._"

"Do I _have _to know all that to tell you to _get used to us?_" Audrey exclaimed. "Hate to break it to you, cupcake, but I don't care! Neither does anyone else!"

Gritting my teeth, I muttered a few expletive infested insults at her, and then stalked off toward my tent.

_One of the Pteranadons suddenly swooped in and hit the side of the plane with its beak, leaving behind a huge dent in the wall. A ton of the girls screamed and jumped out of their seats. I quickly buckled myself in and clutched the arm rests of my seat in terror. A slight ringing sound began in my ears and the sound of the next Pteranadon hitting the wing was slightly dulled. The plane wobbled and a couple people fell down. I began muttering things under my breath, but if anyone heard me and wondered what I was saying, I could not have told them. _

_The Pteranadons continued to hit the plane, going mainly after the wings. The plane lurched, dove, and rose in uncontrolled patterns as the pilot attempted to shake off the predators. Another hit, then another, and another. "Everyone sit down in your seats and buckle up!" the pilot yelled over the speaker. Though it was difficult, his orders were carried through. _

_The sounds of ripping, crunching, and extremely loud metallic scrapes were heard. My vision began to get fuzzy. We were wobbling uncontrollably and then, we were plunging straight towards the ground. The people around me screamed in terror. I felt my stomach clench and watched the back of Lane's head, waiting for the impact. Then, suddenly, we were stopped by a sickening crunch._

* * *

**Author's Note: **My _goodness _is that a long chapter. Don't you love me? -grins- 

Guess what I am doing. Reading _Lost World._ Aren't you proud? But now I am upset that I did not read it sooner. They changed a bloody lot in the movies. –sigh-

Please review!


	12. Next Time

**Author's Note: **Well, it seems that I somehow got distracted with things I considered more important than writing this book. I'm crazy, I know. By the way, now that I've read _Lost World, _I should probably tell you that my stories are based on the movies, not the books. Apparently they got some things wrong in the movies… Well, continue on my faithful readers – let me deter you no longer!

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**Replies**

**Sulkdodds **Yes, I like the way Eric isn't perfect as well. Almost like a real person, huh? Haha. Eh, we can pretend he is, anyway. And yes, besides the language, _Lost World _is pretty darn good.  
**crazy4coco986 **A myspace… what is that? I have an online journal… the link is in my bio.  
**T.E.N. **I Robot is a book? Strange… I didn't know that. Or maybe I did, but I just forgot. I don't know… Ah – yes, Eric is definitely idiotic for going back to the island, I agree. But, then again, this guy pretty much believes that he has nothing to live for and, hey, he isn't perfect! I wonder if he might be mentally disturbed… lol.  
**tinksbelle85 **Wow, thanks for reading my fic again! Means a lot to me.  
**Pigeon **You enjoy making boys blush, don't you? Odd person…  
**Shooting Starlight **Thank you! I like the character development of Lane too. Tehehe. Wow, I'm okay…

**What Happened Last?**

"You have _no _idea," I muttered.

"No idea about what?" Audrey snapped.

"About anything," I shot back. "About this island. About the animals here. About _me._"

"Do I _have _to know all that to tell you to _get used to us?_" Audrey exclaimed. "Hate to break it to you, cupcake, but I don't care! Neither does anyone else!"

Gritting my teeth, I muttered a few expletive infested insults at her, and then stalked off toward my tent.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**- _Next Time._

The evidence of our stay was barely there. The ground had been covered with a powdery layer of fresh sand from the beach. All things were packed and put in backpacks. The only thing you might see if you looked was a single file of footprints leading toward the center of the island. For that is where we were headed.

I brushed past a damp fern and continued to silently follow the group of extremely insane individuals toward my death. Every sound that was made, either by our group or something else, made my skin crawl and my throat constrict in fear. Yet, at the same time, a sense of quiet determination began to well up within myself. I was on Isla Sorna and there was nothing I could do about it. All I needed to be focused on was getting through this alive. I had never once wanted to actually be on this island… well, I might have when I was fourteen and ignorant of the inhabiting monsters. Thus, why would things be different this time? I had done much to prevent myself from coming here, yet at the same time, I had done little. Accepting J.C.'s offer was my step toward my highly probable death. Had I declined his offer, I would not be here.

Despite all of this, I _was _here and this _was _real. I had to deal with this, and sulking wasn't going to help.

Still, I couldn't forget my anger toward Audrey, due to our argument the previous night. Sure, I had been a pain in the butt, but what had she expected? Me to kiss her on the hand and thank her graciously for escorting me to the beautiful location? I was angry about where I had been forced to go! Why did she have to take everything so personally?

"Hey, Eric," Kevin said, coming alongside me and speaking in a low voice. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"We shouldn't talk at all," I hissed back.

He grunted. "Whatever, dude, we need to talk, and unlike you, I'm not willing to become a mute while we're here."

I nodded to show I understood. Let the guy get us eaten, what did I care? Right…

"I wanted to talk to you about Audrey."

A slight feeling of interest was present in my mind for a moment, but I extinguished it almost immediately. Feeling anything toward anyone here would be my downfall. "What about her?" I asked quietly.

"Look, she told me about your fight last night. I just don't think you're being fair to her, that's all," he muttered.

I glanced over at him. His face was set and he was staring straight ahead. "Fair about what?" I asked a bit angrily.

"You said… you yelled at her because she doesn't know you," he said, stepping over a rather large tree root. "In truth, Eric, you don't know anything about her either."

"Yeah, well," I said tersely, "she volunteered for this."

"I'm not talking about the ruddy island," Kevin exclaimed. He took a deep breath, and then continued in a would-be-calm voice. "I'm just saying that because we are now all in this together – and there's nothing you can do about being here now that you are – you might as well suck up your pride and stop taking your anger out on her."

"I'm not talking my anger out on her!" I snapped. Kevin raised his eyebrow. "I yell at everyone else too, don't I?"

"Yes, you do," Kevin said, grinning a bit, which made me feel rather angry. "But again, that's not exactly what I meant."

"Then what _do _you mean, _Kevin_?" I hissed.

"I _mean_," he said, gritting his teeth, "that whatever your personal…ailments or past experiences, you need to put them aside. Audrey is being much nicer to you than you deserve and yet you bite into her almost constantly. Your bloody anger management problems are your concern, not hers, nor the rest of ours. You get to get it under control if you want to be on this team."

"But I don't want to be on this team," I cut in.

"You've made that evident," Kevin said dryly. "Just leave Audrey alone, all right? You don't know her past, and judging by the fact that you don't seem to want to take the time to get to know it, you should just butt out. She doesn't need another aggravation."

"And neither do I," I replied.

This appeared to be the end of our discussion, as Kevin dropped back to where he had been before and left me with many more thoughts to tumble around in my mind. Anger swelled within me and I glared up at the back of Audrey's head as she and her short brown hair made their way through the jungle, innocent like. Her past? What on earth in her past could be worse than what was in my own? This was the third bloody time I had been on this island – which was, of course, not my choice – and each time before, something terrible had happened. First, my mom's fiancé was killed right as we reached the island, which left me alone, and then, Lane was killed. My Lane…

I doubted very much whether or not Audrey knew the pain of losing a loved one in the way that I did. These feelings sounded selfish, and most likely were, but I didn't care. She was just as ignorant of my past as I was of hers. In truth, at least at this moment in time, I had no desire to discover why she was the way she was. My miseries and wallowing were enough on my broken heart. Adding someone else's burdens on top of mine would not help in the slightest.

My resolution returned. I had to survive this trek I had been forced into and could not, under any circumstances, find myself caring for another human being on my team. If I did, I would learn to later regret it. I had the upper hand, in contrast to the last time I was thus inclined to be emotionally attached. Last time, I already had strong feelings for Lane. This time, I was hardly associated with any one of those who surrounded me. If I remained detached and seemingly heartless, losing one of them would not be painful, and _leaving _one or all of them to their death would not be as heavy a weight of a burden than it would have been normally.

In what felt like a very long period of time, Knight informed us all that it was time for lunch and a short break. We all found a random root to sit on, resting our aching limbs, and pulled a small ration of food from our packs.

"Hey," Bret said. He had taken a seat next to me.

I nodded. A slight show of greeting that did not encourage further conversation – I thought it was appropriate.

"It doesn't sound like you and Audrey are getting along too well," he said, regardless of my less-that-friendly attitude.

"Nor are Kevin and I," I said, taking a bite out of… whatever it was I was eating. I wasn't sure, exactly, what it was. Something that tasted remarkably like cardboard.

"They seem kind of high up to me," Bret said, eating his own lunch. "Although Aud' sure is something to look at."

Grinning like an idiot didn't exactly suit Bret.

"I suppose," I replied simply.

We sat in silence for the remainder of our break, then we all set off again toward the center of the island. My feet gave slight protest on being forced to regain their walking.

The sound of birds fluttered down to us, bourn upon the humid air as though the sound, too, had wings. Beadlets of sweat rolled down my forehead. I felt wet and sticky. It is common knowledge that sweat is generally supposed to help cool you down, but whoever believes this has never been to Isla Sorna. The wetness that was seeping through my clothing made me more and more uncomfortable and seemed to make the heat even less bearable. I lifted my feet, one after another, and placed them quietly on the floor of the forest.

A high squeak suddenly came from somewhere up the line of people. "_Bless you_!" Kevin called from behind.

"Thanks!" Audrey said.

"Shut-up!" Bret and I exclaimed at the same time.

That's when it happened. Around half a dozen, reptilian creatures darted out of hiding, surrounding us and spitting and hissing in anger and triumph. Rebecca screeched. "What are they?" Knight yelled back to me, a slight note of panic in his voice.

"Raptors," I called back, pointing my shotgun at the nearest one.

"Shoot!" Kevin yelled. They all drew weapons, which was a rather sudden movement. The Velociraptors seemed to take this as either a personal insult, or a cue, as they suddenly shot forward. With a loud echo of noise, we all let fire. I cocked my gun again and spun around. With a jolt of fear I saw a Raptor charging me. It leaped and hit me in the chest, knocking me to my back. I fell, my gun flying from my hands.

"Eric!"

There was another round of gunfire and the Raptor, which had been leering down at me, keeled over, several wounds in its side. Bret hurried over to me and helped me to my feet. "You all right?" he asked, sweat pouring profusely from his hairline.

"Yeah," I said quickly, looking around. Everyone else seemed to be all right as well. Audrey was searching her bag for something as Rebecca held her hand over her arm. Blood seeped through her fingers and dripped thickly to the forest floor. Bret hurried over to her and helped Audrey clean the wound.

"Are we all okay?" Kevin asked. He roughly handed me my gun, then headed up to where Audrey was.

"Yes!" several people called.

My astonishment was clearly evident upon my face, as Knight looked over at me and grinned. "Told you we have everything under control!" he called out to me.

I shook my head in amazement. We had been surprised by a pack of Raptors and every single one of us had lived to tell the tale.

'_Next time_,' I thought. '_We won't be so lucky next time._'

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm terribly sorry about the long wait you all had to endure. Hopefully this won't happen again, but I can't make any promises. I'm really busy this summer and kind of stressed because of it. I'll try to write as much as I can, but again, I can't make any promises. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review! 


	13. A Tent Gone Missing

**Author's Note: **Hello, all. Yet again, I will now open with an apology for a long wait. Normally you would expect more updates from someone during their summer break, but such is not the case with me. I was extremely busy and when I wasn't, all I felt like doing was sitting around and doing nothing because I was so tired. I began this chapter in June and finished it last week when I went camping with my family.

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**Replies** (_Miss Pippin Baggins _you have like, three replies on here so don't stop at the first one) 

**Agent Pigeon – **Jenny, dear, you are an odd child. lol.

**T.E.N. – **I actually bought "Congo" at the beginning of the summer at a garage sale but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. … Armed and dangerous idiots… I like that. And I know the attack was pretty unrealistic… this story is getting crappier by the chapter.

**R.K.Binx **– Thanks for the review, dear!

**Crazy4coco986 – **I actually just got a myspace and will post an author's note about it at the end of the chapter. The code for yours didn't show up on your review, though, so just search for mine and request friendship, k? Okay.

**Miss Pippin Baggins – **Thanks so much! Ah, I have to give you a hug for that. –hugs-

**Vamp-from-hell – **Thank you, dear! I think I read that rewrite of the third movie but I can't remember… it's been a while. And I actually can't answer your question because it would give some things away… Oh dear.

**Miss Pippin Baggins – **AH! Another review from you! Cool stuff. I am posting the thirteenth chapter… now.

**Sulkdodds – **Yes I agree. Hooray for guns!

**Miss Pippin Baggins – **Man I feel spoiled. Four whole reviews? Cool stuff. And thanks for the "love your work." The first time I read your review I kind of wondered about the 'love you' bit, but the second time I don't even know if I noticed… But yes, thank you anywho.

**ShootingStarlight – **Thank you so much! We haven't talked in forever, have we?

I feel so spoiled, you guys! That's an awesome amount of reviews. Thank you!

**What Happened Last?**

I shook my head in amazement. We had been surprised by a pack of Raptors and every single one of us had lived to tell the tale.

'_Next time_,' I thought. '_We won't be so lucky next time._'

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – **_A Tent Gone Missing_

My anger toward Audrey and Kevin had not yet diminished when we set up camp later that evening, nor had my desire and resolve to remain detached from everyone and everything. Bret, however, seemed to enjoy what I am sure everyone was referring to as my mentally-disturbed-and-yet-still-fascinating company. What was wrong with these people? No matter what I had said or done all day long, Bret seemed determined to remain in my presence. He was an odd kid. His attention was truly aggravating. I didn't know what to do with him. And as he and I shared a tent, there was no chance of escaping him.

"Hey, Eric, Audrey wants to know if you want anything to eat," Bret said, shoving past a bush to approach me.

"Um… yeah," I said, looking back at the tent I had just set up. "I still have some work to do, though, so I can take it here."

"You just don't want to have to talk with Audrey or Kevin," Bret grinned.

"We shouldn't really be talking," I responded quickly.

"We've been talking practically all day long," Bret chuckled. "Does standing still make a difference in how much we can converse? And you're avoiding the subject."

"No I'm not," I said defensively.

"Come have something to eat."

"There's food already?"

Yes, now come _eat _it."

"I'll take it here! I still have work to do!"

"You've set up all the tents we have. What more is there to do?"

"…Other things…"

"Eric, seriously, come on!"

I sighed and looked around. My temper was rising, but I knew that it wouldn't do any good to yell at Bret. I had already tried several times today, but to no effect. It was as though he was immune to my anger and wrath, if that was what you would call it.

"Fine," I finally said. "But I'm not talking to-"

"Whatever, dude," Bret replied, turning around and pushing past a bush as though he had never cared whether I ate in the first place.

Like I said before, Bret was one odd kid.

Dinner wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't exactly horrid. I'm not talking about the food, which was rubbery in texture and rancid in taste. I was referring to the stiff silence between Kevin, Audrey, and I. Now that I thought about it, our fights didn't seem as though they should generate this much hype. '_The two of them just don't have any back-bone,_' I assured myself. If they ever wanted to crawl back, they were welcome to try, but it wouldn't do them much good. Not being on speaking terms with them aided me when it came to being indifferent.

After I obtained my evening meal from a stony-faced Audrey, I took a seat on the stump of a tree at a distance from everyone else. It would have been depressing and lonely had I not been so decided in my ways.

"What are you sitting way over here for?" Bret asked as he sat down beside me and stuck his fork into his food.

I chose not to answer him and instead concentrated on cutting my meat-like substance.

"Avoiding people is the first step towards madness," Bret said thickly as he attempted to chew his food.

"Where did you hear that?" I asked absentmindedly. I had just heard a sound off in the forest.

"My high school counselor," Bret answered. He swallowed his food and began to cough.

I looked over at him. He had a young face. "How old are you?" I questioned.

Bret hit his chest with a clenched fist and coughed a couple more times before choking out an answer. "Nineteen."

"Why would someone so young volunteer for something like this?" I asked him, setting my fork down and looking sternly at him.

"Dude, you're not my ruddy dad," Bret laughed, but said no more.

"You're avoiding my question," I snapped.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Hello, boys." It was Rebecca. "You aren't bothering my brother, are you Eric?" she asked.

"No, he's not," Bret said before I could reply. '_More like he's bothering me,_' I thought.

"Good," Rebecca said.

"How are you holding up?" Bret asked his older sister, placing a dirty hand on her shoulder.

"What, are you worried?" she teased. Bret shrugged. "Why should _you _be the one to worry when I'm so much older than you? Shouldn't _I _be the one to worry about my _nineteen year old brother_ instead of him worrying about his much older and more sophisticated sister?"

"All the more reason to worry," Bret replied solemnly. "I'm not so sure your joints can take it. You may drop dead any second!"

"Out of exhaustion?" Rebecca asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, of course not. Out of old age."

The two siblings stared at each other for a few seconds before they could stand it no more and burst out laughing. "You're such an idiot!" Rebecca said, slapping her brother on the back.

"_Shut-up_!" I hissed. There had just been a very loud series of booms issuing from the forest. Then, as the laughter died away, a very loud roar ripped through the air. My eardrums pounded and a convulsive shiver ran up and down my spine. "Stay still," I shouted to everyone in the camp. "It's a Tyrannosaurus!"

Everyone froze. The footsteps of the dinosaur had halted somewhere behind me.

"You're bloody right it is," Knight sneered, his food halfway to his mouth. Audrey shushed him.

I felt a warm waft of air hit the back of my neck. Moist air that smelled strongly of decaying, dead flesh. The dinosaur was sniffing us out. As long as we were all intelligent enough to remain in one position…

A loud ripping noise rent the air, followed by a series of very loud chewing sounds, and then by the retreating footsteps of our unwelcome guest. Everyone began to breathe again.

"What the hell?" Kevin exclaimed, clutching his chest.

"_Language_, kind sir," Audrey said, giving her friend a small smile. He then attempted to look quite sternly at her, but didn't succeed too well.

I no longer felt like eating my meal. I set my plate aside and stood to return to the tents. I had to think… to get away. To my annoyance, Bret scampered after me. "Where are _you _going?" he questioned as he reached my side.

"Stop talking!" I hissed. "When on the forest floor of this island you-"

"-you keep your mouth shut, yeah, I know," Bret rolled his eyes. "Dude, get a grip, okay? I'm gonna keep talking to you no matter what you do."

"You're going to get us both killed," I returned, my frustration growing. I just wanted to be alone. Was this so much to ask?

"At least we'll have company when the Raptors are eating or intestines." Bret then made a very pathetic impression of a Velociraptor, rejoicing over its new meal. Had I been in a better mood, it certainly would have made me laugh.

"Are you so eager to be another animal's dinner?" I asked, stopping in the path and hiding any slight amusement while attempting to look furious.

"Not really," he shrugged. "But you might as well look at the bright side of things."

I groaned. "I'm in the presence of an optimist."

"And _I_," Bret said as we began to walk again, "am in the presence of a pessimist."

We had then reached our tents and all conversation ceased. Only two out of our three tents remained. Kevin and Knight's had been ripped from the earth, steaks and all. The contents lay scattered about the forest floor, one box having been flattened and left to breathe in the large Tyrannosaurus print on the edge of the clearing. "I guess those two will be star-gazing tonight," Bret said. He paused, then laughed heartily at his own joke.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading my new chapter, guys. It means a lot to me. You know what would mean more? A review! Or four, as Miss Pippin Baggins was so awesome as to give me. Lol. Oh, and T.E.N. gave me two… can't leave you out of the loop, now can we? 

Anyways, as an extra note, I now have a myspace. Search for my e-mail (as I'm not going to give you my last name… sorry) to find me. Fanfiction doesn't exactly let you put links up. Oh, and it would be helpful if you would send me a message along with any friend requests, telling me that you read my story. Otherwise I'll probably think some random person decided to add me…

Also, opinions. Should I or should I not make a yahoo group (or something of the like) for the 'Return to Jurassic' series? I could add all sorts of cool stuff and we could talk about it and… yes. Would any of you be interested?

Until next time…

**Jamie out.**


	14. The Tree

**Author's Note: **Yes, again, I have taken ages upon ages to update. Oh well. I guess this is just the sad way it is going to be. I will at least try to make an effort from now on. I just don't know if I like the way the story is turning out. That's rather frustrating, I must say.

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**Replies**

**Short and proud. **Yeah, starting to read something when I am nearly finished is certainly the way to go. I have no idea how long it is going to take me to finish this one. I've been out of the writing mode for a while. This must be fixed!

**T.E.N. **Good and better is always splendid. Thank you, dear!

**R.K.Binx. **I'm sorry this update isn't soon. The only good thing about this is that it is now, not never. I hate it when people give up on their stories. I am in no way planning on doing that with this one.

**Torold. **You're only saying that because you're jealous. I know, because you told me. You were mad I had to "flames." Haha. Well I must say, that review was quite "flamey." Haha.

**Billy Everyman. **Hmm… I believe that was the day I posted the very _first _chapter, dear. The last time I updated was sometime this summer… I would never go that long without updating! And if I would, then I would delete the story because I obviously wouldn't be going anywhere with it any time soon. But, no, I assure I have updated since December 5, 2003.

**Ms. Pippin Baggins. **Oh my goodness! **-hugs- **A23 is one of your very favorites! I feel so blessed! Thank you so, so, SO much!

**Geckoguy32. **Your reviews make me laugh. I don't know why… probably because I know what's going to happen in the end and you don't. –laughs- By the way, dino skin is very tough… and I actually don't know what other kinds of guns everyone has. I just know how to shoot them… and I know the ones my family owns. I don't know **too **much else, which is sort of depressing.

**What Happened Last? **

"Not really," he shrugged. "But you might as well look at the bright side of things."

I groaned. "I'm in the presence of an optimist."

"And _I_," Bret said as we began to walk again, "am in the presence of a pessimist."

We had then reached our tents and all conversation ceased. Only two out of our three tents remained. Kevin and Knight's had been ripped from the earth, steaks and all. The contents lay scattered about the forest floor, one box having been flattened and left to breathe in the large Tyrannosaurus print on the edge of the clearing. "I guess those two will be star-gazing tonight," Bret said. He paused, then laughed heartily at his own joke.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen – The Tree**

(**Day Three)**

After a restless night's sleep, full of memories and terrors, I again found myself walking through the forest with only Bret to accompany me. Or at least, with only Bret to talk with. We seemed to be the only individuals of our party who found it necessary to converse as we placed one foot after the other. Bret's bothersome company was far from pleasant, and his incessant need to talk quite a nuisance, but there was just no getting rid of him. No matter how hard I tried to shake him off, there he was, plodding along after me, waving his finger at my attempt of escape.

Not only was his presence unbearable, but so was the fact that I was now required to walk for hours and hours on end, carrying a heavy pack on my back. I was not in the best of conditions for this sort of physical strain. In all of the years I had been away from the island, I had not cared about maintaining my health… or my muscles. Now, my calves, thighs, feet, ankles, back, neck, and all other sorts of strange locations were protesting at the exercise they were now forced to undergo. My muscles would loosen after walking for several hours, but with every movement came a sharp pain from some place of my body, never the same.

Audrey, Kevin, and I were still not talking to each other. Audrey was conveniently avoiding eye contact whenever she could while Kevin was prone to give me dirty looks whenever _he _could. The fights the three of us had shared now seemed pathetically immature. I felt inclined to apologize, at least to Audrey, and maybe to explain some things.

My plan of being indifferent wasn't working too well. After being around these people for such a short amount of time, I felt a strange sensation. I didn't necessarily feel wanted, but I felt needed. They needed me here, as much as many of them hated to admit it. Half of them didn't know the difference between a Compy and a Spinosaurus, besides the fact that one was chicken sized and the other looked more along the lines of a dragon without wings and the ability to spit fire. They didn't know what to do in different situations and their incessant need to talk proved their inability to handle any situation that would be handed to them on this island. Granted, they had taken care of a significant amount of Raptors the previous day, but they took this stupidly as encouragement. They reassured themselves in thinking that they could take any situation handed to them now that they had shot down "a few pests." Their understanding of the way Isla Sorna worked was minimal. They needed me here to direct them and show them that they could _not _handle everything.

It was good to feel needed… but it wasn't intelligent to accept that feeling and embrace it. Not when we were here. It was making me weak and vulnerable. If someone died, as I knew they would, I would most likely feel pain, regret, and guilt. I was letting them in. My plan of indifference was failing. Especially when it came to Bret.

As I've said before, Bret's attention was aggravating and annoying beyond reason, but if anything were to happen to him, I didn't know what I would do while we remained on this island. He was the only one who would look me in the eye. He was the only one who made me feel as though I was wanted. Not just needed, but wanted.

Did I want to feel wanted?

I hadn't felt wanted for a while.

* * *

The clouds rolled in and darkened the sky. A slap of lightning illuminated the now gloomy tree trunks around us and thunder rolled across the expanse, driving flocks of birds into the air with cries they save only for such storms as these. The first drops of rain began to fall in only seconds and a mere five minutes after the first touched my nose, we were caught in a sudden downpour, drenching our clothes and causing strange sorts of plant life to stick to our legs as we walked past. "Quick, take cover!" I heard Knight call from the front. My vision was blurred and I was required to hold my hand above my eyes so that I could see what was going on in front of me. The rest of the group was rushing into an oddly shaped enclosure with a hole for an entrance barely big enough to admit me. 

Inside was damp and dark. Kevin pulled a flashlight from his pack and switched it on, illuminating the small area. We all removed our heavy packs from our backs. While most sat down to wait out the storm, I walked around and examined the walls and floor. Something about this place seemed oddly familiar.

"Why do you have such an odd look on your face?" Bret asked me from his sitting position.

I shrugged and noticed that Audrey was watching me out of the corner of her eye. My stomach gave an odd lurch. I contemplated for a moment – was I still planning on remaining indifferent? – and then resolutely walked to her side. "Hey, can I talk to you?" I winced at how rude my question had sounded.

Audrey merely shrugged. So I sat down next to her. "I wanted to apologize," I began. Her eyes grew a bit wide but she didn't say anything, thus I continued. "I acted like a jerk that one night and… well, I guess I haven't been very nice these past few days. Or really even since we met. I just… don't like being here."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because… there are dinosaurs here," I replied.

"No, why are you being like this?" she continued.

"Like what?" I questioned, perplexed.

She rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

"No, like what?"

"Eric, it doesn't matter."

"Sure it does."

"I forgive you."

"What?"

"You apologized. I'm forgiving you."

"Oh," I said, and then paused for a moment before saying, "Thanks… I guess."

"You're welcome," she said cheerfully. "And just so you know, I know that I don't know a lot about your past or anything, but that gives us all the more reason to talk, right? It will just give us more things to discuss. And I promise I'll try to be more trusting."

"Wait…," I replied, resisting the urge to scratch my head, "I thought I was the one who wasn't trusting."

"Well then maybe we have something in common after all, Mr. Kirby," she grinned. "By the way, I think you need to talk to Kevin as well. He keeps glaring at you…"

I looked back at Kevin, who was indeed sending constant looks of near hatred in my direction. "Do I have to?" I whined.

Audrey rolled her eyes again. "Stop being such a little chicken and get over there."

With a sigh, I rose to my feet and trudged over to Kevin, who was standing at the doorway. "What?" he said when I stopped next to him.

"Audrey told me to talk to you," I said gruffly.

"Since when are you two talking again?" he snapped.

"Since now," I replied slowly.

"Oh… what did you say to her?" he questioned defensively.

"I said I was sorry," I said, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Then what did she say?" he asked.

"After a lot of confusing banter, she said she forgave me," I said, again resisting the urge to scratch my head. "I just don't understand girls sometimes."

Kevin finally grinned at me. "It happens to the best of us. You'll figure them out one of these days if you're intelligent enough."

I glared at him. Was he suddenly the woman expert now?

"Anyways, since she's back to confusing banter with you, then I'm pretty sure all is well. I'm sorry, dude," he said as he slapped me on the back.

"Right," I winced. "I… um… I'm sorry too."

Kevin gave me a lopsided grin and turned back to the doorway. "Dude! The rain stopped!" he exclaimed. I gazed past his shoulder and saw that the now puddle covered ground was spotted with random patches of mid-afternoon sunlight.

"When did this happen?" Knight asked, coming up behind us.

"Well… that kind of happens around here," I explained. "The rain comes at random times and leaves at random times."

"Next time will you warn me before one of these things comes?" he barked.

"But you can't predict them…" I said quietly. Kevin winked at me.

We all picked up our packs while Knight grumbled and raged about being behind schedule. I shook my head at his back and followed everyone out of the hole and took a look around. That's when I saw it – when I realized why everything at that particular spot had looked so familiar. It was "the tree."

I suddenly became dizzy as flashes from six years ago blinded my eyes. Lane. The dreams she had. Her smiling face. Her angry words. Her disappointed gaze.

I dropped my pack on the ground and ran over to the tree. The rest of the team yelled after me, but I ignored them as I climbed, using the criss-cross pattern of vines as foot and handholds. I didn't know why I was climbing so fast, but I needed to get there. I felt like if I made it to the top, then Lane would be waiting for me with open arms. This whole place seemed to radiate "Lane." Good and bad memories were held in these branches.

When I reached the top, I stumbled and squeezed through a small opening of branches and emerged into the center of the tree where Lane, Tina, Brad, Sally Grude, and I had called home for several weeks.

--------------

_I gazed up through the branches toward the sky. Stars winked down at me as though they knew something cleverly funny that I didn't. A slight rustling across the room brought my attention out of the heavens and back to the tree we had planted ourselves in. Lane was emerging from the small alcove she had deemed as her own. "What are you doing awake?" I asked, trying not to show the feelings and thoughts I had been mulling over since everyone had gone to sleep. _

_"You try sleeping in there all night long," Lane said, sniffing. I let out a soft laugh, hoping she had meant for this to be funny. She gave a sigh and sank to the floor, resting her back against the branches and stretching her legs out in front of herself. Did she know how beautiful she was?_

_We remained silent for several minutes. "Did you have the nightmare again?" I finally asked, hoping she wouldn't get mad at me again._

_She sighed again and nodded her head. After pausing only a moment, I got up and went to sit next to her. "What's it about?" I asked._

_Even in the very dim light, I could tell that Lane looked surprised. She stared at me for several seconds before she replied. She told about how for over a month, she had been dreaming that she was running through a fog and came up to meet a Tyrannosaurus, which she then ran from. She could never get to the end of the dream because she kept waking up. "What if this is like Scarlet O'Hara's dream?" she asked. I had no idea who that was but I decided to pretend like I did. "I mean, she always had this dream about running through a fog… and at the end of the book… you know, Gone With the Wind, she actually _did _run through the fog! So what if my dream comes true? Why have I been having it so often?"_

_"SHUSH!"_

_We looked over and saw that Sally was awake and sitting up._

_"I'm trying to sleep, here!" she whispered fiercely._

_We nodded. I looked over at Lane, her attractive features dimmed by the gloomy light and the shadow of my memory. I shrugged, got to my feet, and walked over to where I had been sitting before. In minutes, Lane was breathing heavily and I was again left to ponder._

**---------------------**

**"**Eric, what are you _doing_?" Audrey exclaimed, coming up beside me and poking me in the head. "We need to get going! What's wrong?"

"This… this is it," I croaked, gazing blankly at Lane's empty alcove. The empty alcove in which she had slept. In which she had spent countless hours crying. The alcove in which I had been yearning to find her curled up in once again.

"This is what?" Audrey asked, giving me a strange look.

"This is where we stayed. Last time we were here," I said softly. I looked up through the branches at the sky above. Clouds were swiftly drifting past, clearing away any trace of the recent storm. "This is where Lane…" I sighed and looked down at my feet.

"Lane?" Audrey asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

How could someone not know who Lane was? It seemed impossible. "Lane was… here… on the island," I said, still looking at my feet.

"You mean, when you were here last time?" she questioned gently.

It took me a moment to respond as I was a bit busy trying to swallow the lump that was beginning to form in my throat. "Yeah," I finally choked out.

We stood and stared around us for what seemed like a long while. But even though the time seemed long, the end arrived too soon, for Knight finally came to retrieve his lost team members, not forgetting to curse the very ground we walked on for holding up our progress even more than the rainstorm had.

Leaving the tree was a difficult thing. So many memories were left there, just waiting for me to sit down and unwrap them. It was a safe haven in which I could barricade myself from the outside world. I could lose myself in times already past and feel no shame in any emotion that would run through me. This had been Lane's temporary home, along with mine. I didn't want to leave it, as I felt like I was leaving her.

"Eric?"

I looked up to see that Audrey was walking next to me instead of near the front of the line, where she always was.

"Will you tell me about her?" she asked. "About Lane?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well I went through all of the JP stories on Fanfiction and guess what? Return to Jurassic: Annihilate 23 is in **second **place when it comes to the most reviews! Bested only by Return to Jurassic. Wow… **YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING! **Cookies, cake, and hugs for all! You get a standing ovation from me too. Yep. 

Now go review and make this story numero UNO!

Oh, and if you want to know which story is it third, it's "Jurassic Park Four: The Return," but I completely forgot who that amazing author is. Oops. Sorry! Go check that one out if you haven't already, people. Chop, chop!

**Jamie out.**


	15. Rebecca

**Author's Note: **I am now a high school graduate. My band has been very busy and we are in the process of recording. I spend 13-17 hours a week at church with my band. I also just got a job. Thus, these are my excuses for not writing. Sorry! Also, this chapter is **why A23 is rated PG-13**. I might have to change it to R; we'll see.

* * *

**Replies.**

Apparently we aren't allowed to do these any more, which makes me ever so annoyed. I enjoyed doing this, as well. –sniff-

**What Happened Last?**

"Eric?"

I looked up to see that Audrey was walking next to me instead of near the front of the line, where she always was.

"Will you tell me about her?" she asked. "About Lane?"

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen** – _Rebecca_

**(Day Three continued.)**

After we stopped for lunch, we set off again in search of the center of the island. Once I had told Audrey about Lane, she understood me that much better. She realized why being here was so difficult for me and it seemed as though she understood my want of silence. This was where Lane had died. Where so much had happened between the two of us. Where our love had blossomed and within a few minutes, it was brutally wrenched from me. No one deserved to die here. Lane especially, but there was nothing to be done about that. I needed to protect these people. I needed to make sure they all got home safely. They all had things to return to. I didn't. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Mine was spent. I thus decided that being indifferent was no longer an option. Thinking of myself and myself alone was not going to cut it. The reason I was here was to protect those around me, not used them as a shield.

I watched the back of Rebecca's head as we walked, wondering. Why were she and her brother here? I had been getting along with Bret, but hadn't yet taken the time to get to know his sister. "Hey Becca," I said, walking up beside her.

"Hello Mr. we have to be quiet," she replied, smirking. "How are you holding up?"

"My feet are trying to murder me," I declared.

"We might just have to put them in solitary confinement for a while, then," she joked.

"Yeah but that would make walking rather difficult," I said, grinning at her.

"This is true," she said.

We continued to talk as the day wore on. After only a few minutes of playful banter, we moved into more serious things. At first she was hesitant to open up, but once she saw that I wasn't afraid to, she seemed more comfortable. Her life turned out to be a jumbled mess. Her mom had died from drug overdose when she was fifteen and her father committed suicide within the same year. Instead of going to live with relatives, as her parents' will was nowhere to be found, she had taken on the arduous task of raising her brother. She quit school, began her working career, and attempted to hide the fact that she was merely sixteen years old and she and her brother were living on their own. "A few people found out but they had the decency to keep it a secret," she said. "But anyways, I soon found out that working forty hour weeks at Save-N-Go wasn't going to provide enough money for Bret and I. That's when I got into doing… **this**."

"What is **this, **exactly?" I asked, finally speaking after my long silence.

"You know… **_this_**!" she answered, gesturing at the jungle around us.  
"**_This_** is wandering through jungles on dinosaur inhabited islands with the goal of destroying it?" I followed.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Enough about me," she said. "I want to know more about you."

"You're avoiding my question," I teased.

"So what if I am?" she snipped. "I out-rank you; I can do whatever I want."

"Oh I see how it is," I quipped, but decided to drop it. "But… anyways, about me. Is there anything you **don't** know?"

"Well… I heard you talking about some girl with Audrey earlier. Who is she?"

"Oh… Lane. That's quite a long story, actually."

"We've got time."

I sighed. Did _everyone _need to know?

* * *

An hour later, Rebecca and I had stopped talking but had not ceased walking next to each other. The heat was too unbearable to waste any energy in conversation. 

Walking to the center of the island seemed to be taking way too much time. This was our third day and we hadn't reached it yet? I felt very inclined to ask Knight whether or not he was sure of the location of our final destination, but he didn't seem to like me much. He was one of the few on the team I wouldn't necessarily mind the death of. But thoughts like these made me feel ashamed, thus I pushed them to the back of my mind and attempted to think of them no more. Wishing for the death of a fellow human being was not acceptable, not when I had given up my resolve to be indifferent and to stop using people as a shield. Knight was a jerk, certainly, but he was also a living, breathing individual. I had no right to dictate his future. Well, no _power _to dictate his future, that is.

"_Halt_!" Kevin suddenly called from behind me.

Everyone stopped in their tracks. I knelt down behind a bush and took a look around. The only reason we would stop was if there was some danger, as it was too early to set up camp.

I saw a flick of movement behind some of the trees nearer to us. Everyone was quiet as they looked around. A warm wind blew through the leaves, making the trees and their branches creak.

"Raptors!" Audrey called.

My breathing stopped and my sweaty hands tightened on my gun.

"Eric, what do we do?" Rebecca whispered.

"Wait," I said. Geez, I was stupid for coming to this island. Stupid beyond reasoning.

Another flick of movement came from the trees. The Velociraptors' attack was no longer going to be a surprise, but I doubted this would keep them from attempting to make us into a meal. It was just a question of where they would strike from first.

This question didn't go unanswered. After only a few seconds of tense waiting, the first Raptor emerged from the trees. His attack was at lightening speed. Before I knew it, Rebecca had fallen to the ground and the reptile-like creature was sitting on her chest. The rest of the attack was only seconds behind.

I cocked my gun, lifted it to my shoulder, and blasted the face off of the Raptor who had cut Rebecca. Everyone else let loose with their guns as well. Audrey let out a scream. I shot the Raptor in front of her with my last shell. Without having time to re-load, I pulled my gun back and hit the nearest attacker in the skull as hard as I could. The butt of my gun was now covered in blood. I took a knife from my shoe and cut the throat of the Raptor I had just injured, just to make sure I hadn't just given him a really bad headache.

I turned from him and looked around, my knife in one hand, my gun in the other. Five Raptors lay dead around us. The rest had fled.

"Eric, are you all right?" Audrey called from nearer the front of the line. "You're covered in blood!"

I looked down at myself. Both of my hands were dripping blood onto the forest floor and my whole front was splattered with it.

"**_Rebecca_**!" I heard Bret yell. I turned around in time to see him reach his sister's limp, bloody form and fall down next to her. Her wound was so grotesque I couldn't bear to look at it.

Bret desperately felt around on Rebecca's wrists and her throat, searching for a pulse. I walked up beside them and gazed down at Rebecca's blank face.

_Lane's hair was matted with blood. I couldn't bear to look at her eyes; her beautiful green eyes. "No, Lane, no!" I whispered.  
_"_Eric," The woman with curly red hair said. She set Lane's wrist gently on the stretcher. "She doesn't have a pulse. She's … gone."  
I looked at the woman, not believing … not **wanting **to believe what she had just said. Brad was sitting on a seat a bit behind her, holding a crying Tina in his arms while stroking her hair and crying a few tears of his own.  
I looked back down at Lane's pale face and her unmoving emerald eyes. I reached over and closed her eyelids. She didn't bring up a hand to stop me; she didn't smirk or smile; she didn't do anything. Not even breathe.  
"Lane, come back!" I wanted to yell, but instead it came out as a whisper. "Don't do this to me! Please, Lane!"_

"Rebecca, no!" Bret yelled. "Don't do this! No!" He picked up his sister in his arms. Her head fell limply away from his chest as he attempted to hold her close. His body shook with unbelief. The tears came soon after. Everyone gathered around. I watched in silence as drop after drop fell from Bret's chin onto his sister's neck. His sobs were loud and uncontrolled.

"He's going to attract something," Knight said. "Those blasted Raptors are going to come back. We need to move."

I raised my face to look at him. Knight stared sternly back at me. "He doesn't care," I replied. "He wouldn't mind dying himself, right about now."

Without waiting for a reaction, I leaned down and with Kevin's help, we pried Bret away from his sister. All three of us were covered in blood. Bret kicked and screamed until he had no strength left. He then fell limp against me. I held him in my arms and felt tears begin to form in my own eyes as his body shook from sobs. Audrey had tears running down her face as she watched the two of us.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to end it there. Please review! 


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